Editing Hutterites (section)

=== Canada ===
The Hutterites responded to this mistreatment of their [[conscientious objector]]s by leaving the United States and moving to the Canadian provinces of Alberta, [[Manitoba]] and Saskatchewan. All 18 existing American colonies were abandoned, except the oldest one, [[Bon Homme Hutterite Colony|Bon Homme]], where Hutterites continued to live. Other colonies moved to Canada but did not sell their vacant colonies.

The Second World War reduced the public's acceptance of Hutterites.<ref>Canadian Encyclopedia, "Hutterites in Canada" https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hutterites. Accessed March 28, 2025</ref> In 1942, the Province of Alberta passed the ''Communal Properties Act'', severely restricting the expansion of the Dariusleut and Lehrerleut colonies. Although [[disallowance and reservation in Canada|disallowed by the federal government]] in 1943{{snd}}the last time provincial legislation was so disallowed in Canadian history{{snd}}and eventually repealed in 1973, the act caused new colonies that were founded to be located in [[British Columbia]] and Saskatchewan.

The Hutterian Brethren Church was recognized by Parliament in 1951.<ref>[[Senate of Canada|Canada, Parliament, Senate]], “Evidence: Study on the present state of the domestic & international financial system,” [https://sencanada.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/421/BANC/pdf/37issue.pdf ''Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade & Commerce'', 42nd Parl., 1st Sess., № 37 (2018‑03‑28–29)], pp. 18–49 at 19.</ref>

As of March 2018, approximately 34,000 Hutterites were living in 350 colonies in Canada. This was 75 percent of the Brethren living in North America.<ref name="Geographic Location">{{Cite web|url=https://hutterites.org/the-leut/distribution/|title=Geographic Location}}</ref> About half of them lived in Alberta colonies, with a lesser number in BC and Saskatchewan.<ref>Canadian Encyclopedia, "Hutterites in Canada" https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hutterites. Accessed March 28, 2025</ref> During summer 2020, many colonies struggled with outbreaks during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada]] because "Hutterite colony members eat, work, and worship together in community settings and share possessions", according to one report. The groups were taking steps to minimize the spread of the virus.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-hutterites-covid-19-1.5691149 |title=Hutterites fear stigma could resurface as Manitoba COVID-19 cases rise, province offers more detail on cases |date=23 August 2020 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=23 August 2020 }}</ref>

One news report defined the business operations of colonies as "industrial grade farms that produce grains, eggs, meat and vegetables, which are sold to large distributors and at local farmer's markets".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7233954/coronavirus-outbreak-hutterite-colonies/ |title=Canadian Hutterite colonies struggle with coronavirus outbreaks|date=30 July 2020 |publisher=Global News |access-date=23 August 2020 }}</ref>

Section 143 of the ''Income Tax Act'' of Canada, introduced in 2007 and modified in 2014 with section 108(5), contains special rules to accommodate Hutterite colonies. According to a 2018 [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] report, colonies do not file income tax returns as corporations, but as individual members:<ref name=":0">[[Senate of Canada|Canada, Parliament, Senate]], Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade & Commerce, [https://sencanada.ca/en/committees/report/57788/42-1 ''Interim Report Concerning Taxation of Hutterites in Canada'', 42nd Parl., 1st Sess., Rept. 21] (2018‑05‑31).</ref>

<blockquote>Based on a memorandum of understanding between the Hutterites and the Minister of National Revenue, section 143 creates a fictional trust to which all the property of the Hutterite colony and any associated income belongs. The trust's income may then be allocated to the individual Hutterite members, according to a formula set out in section 143, who can then claim the income on their personal tax returns.</blockquote>

In 2018, the Senate of Canada asked the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] to review the legislation, because Hutterites were not being allowed to claim the [[Working Income Tax Benefit]] refundable tax credit (WITB), which was available to other farmers in Canada.<ref name=":0"/>