One of the Liberal candidates is “US Person” Chrystia Freeland formerly editor of Thomson Reuters news wire. Two of Freeland’s daughters were born in New York City. McQuaig of course strongly believes that Canadians have a moral obligation to help the American poor by strongly supporting imposing FATCA on themselves.
A moral obligation? Really?
They won’t help their own poor so they want US to do that for them? And then preach to us about moral obligations?
Fuck that!
I don’t live in Toronto, and I don’t know anyone who lives in Toronto Centre any more (though I did live in that riding for a couple of years in the early 1970s). I am a life-long NDP voter (with the exception of one election when I voted Liberal), I am a current member of the party, but have no vote in the selection process for that riding.
If the NDP candidate in my riding were someone who supports FATCA, thinks the sun shines from Obama’s nether regions, or thinks it was a good idea for the NDP to invite a senior Democrat to address their policy convention a few months ago to tell them how they should organize for the next Canadian federal election, I’d vote Green or maybe Liberal — I sure as hell wouldn’t vote for that candidate in either a by-election or a general election, and I bloody well would vote.
I urge anyone visiting this website who is an NDP member to do as I’d do, but before that, if you’re an NDP member in Toronto Centre, I urge you to contact anyone you know on the riding association, and also your favourite alternative to McQuaig for the nomination, and mention what’s wrong with McQuaig’s position on this issue, how upset you’d be if the party were to nominate someone who thinks FATCA and supporting American over-reach into Canadian and other countries’ sovereign right to have their own banking, privacy and human rights laws, and how it will cost them a vote in the by-election and maybe also in the next general election. Maybe cc the email to Tom Mulcair at the same time. And do mention that you’re a party member — they’re more likely to pay attention to your email, I hope.
You might also mention that McQuaig’s stance is diametrically opposed to the position taken by the entire BC NDP caucus move than a year ago, when they wrote and signed a joint letter to Flaherty expressing opposition to any Canadian compliance with FATCA.
If McQuaig wins, I suggest voting Liberal in the by-election (unless you seriously think the Greens have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the riding, or unless you actually think having a Conservative in that riding would be a good idea, which I don’t).
If you are a supporter of FATCA then you are NOT in support of the Canadian Charter of Rights…plain and simple…you cannot have it both ways!!!
@schubert1975
Less idealistically – FATCA is the richest and biggest opportunity the NDP has been handed in a long time, if they’re clever and ruthless enough to use it.
@mach73 … right on, and moreover McQuaig therefore has no right to expect Canadian citizens, whether NDP party members or not, to vote for her. And the party and riding association that pick someone like McQuaig to represent them on the ballot richly deserves what will happen to them in the by-election, I hope.
@ broken man
Sadly, have to say that political cleverness has never been the NDP’s strong suit. Ruthlessness isn’t necessarily a good thing, but in the way I think you mean it here, it is.
Mulcair was never my choice for party leader, Nathan Cullen was (and still is), and BTW Cullen is a member of the BC caucus and did sign that letter I mentioned … And my sense is that Cullen would have been more likely than Mulcair to seize on this issue (redolent with Canadian sovereignty and nationalism, which I wish he and the NDP would exhibit a lot more of than he has). Mulcair has frankly been a huge disappointment to me as party leader and leader of the opposition; I think Elizabeth May all on her own has been a more impressive party leader than Mulcair. And we know where May and the Greens stand on this issue … I just wish they had more support and depth in the country than they currently do, if they did I’d think seriously of switching to them.
I am trying to avoid being too political here. If she right now was to recant her past support of FATCA and pledge to do whatever its takes in the future to fight it(beyond anything anyone in the NDP or other parties has pledged so far) I would take a more neutral stance. Unfortionately, I have a feeling she won’t be doing that. If she doesn’t recant I very much would like to see her perceived to have lost because of FATCA(either the nomination or by-election).
@Broken Man on a Halifax Pier
Unfortionately for the NDP if they nominate this woman they be handing their behinds on a silver platter to the Greens and Liberals if we can do anything about it. I will add that a “significant” portion of the political commentariat seems to think she has a lock on the nomination. Perhaps that is being presumptuous but I am just repeating what others are saying(in solely a generic political context). The same commentators are also saying she will be a very competitive candidate against any of the Liberal nominees)
This is a seat the Liberals really really really must win(Its Bob Rae’s old seat). Enough that if Trudeau is backed into a corner he might be willing to throw the Bankers Association, the IRS, and Obama all under the bus. The Liberals are always known for political expediency. That might be to our advantage.
@schubert1975,
The way I look at it, The Green Party never will have more support if people won’t vote for them because they don’t want to waste their vote. I am voting Green next election for the first time.
@Schubert
My personal inclination would be to help the Greens here. I have a few emails out to them as of a few minutes ago. I have absolutely no idea how much of a presence they will have in this race. I assume given its Toronto Centre there will be definitely be a Green candidate. Having said that they are making a big play for a win in the other scheduled by-election in Montreal. They might not have the resources to go that hard in both Toronto and Montreal.
The current Green candidate appear to be this woman. Not a lot of more recent info. I will include her in future communications to the Greens.
http://www.electellen.ca/
@WhiteKat
It’s a real dilemma that you raise, and one that I faced for the many years when I lived in ridings where the NDP was always a third-place no-hope (no longer true in my current riding).
However for me there’s a trade-off involving the classic problem of the “left” splitting their votes three ways so the Tories win again, and I have a huge number of concerns about the Harper government’s profounding undemocratic and unparliamentary approach to governing our country, which for me trump the FATCA issue if it boils down to risking a Tory victory in the riding. Hence my suggestion for the Liberals, whom I mistrust almost as much (but not quite as much) as the current configuration of the Tories. I know what the current Tories stand for (and I generally don’t like it); I also think I know what the Green and NDP stand for. In decades of living in Canada I’ve never been able to figure out whether and what if anything the Liberals stand for, other than getting elected and their trotters into the pig trough … but they’re more “progressive” than the current Tories, and as I did the last and only time I voted Liberal (in 1993 in the federal election) I might hold my nose and vote for them if I couldn’t stomach the NDP candidate or felt he/she couldn’t possibly win the riding (as was the case in 1993 in the riding I then lived in), just to ensure the Tories don’t take it (if they are close enough to taking it, I’m not sure on that about Toronto Centre). I’m not sure if that’s a clever stance, but it is ruthless …
Paul Wells has a related column at http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/08/06/toronto-centre-land-of-selfless-pundits/. IMO Wells is a sharp fellow, so perhaps a few comments from IBSers re McQuaig and FATCA would be able to get his attention on this issue?
@mach73
“If you are a supporter of FATCA then you are NOT in support of the Canadian Charter of Rights…plain and simple…you cannot have it both ways!!!”
Exactly. If she won’t stand for the Charter, then she’s choosing to not stand on guard for Canada. If she’s truly concerned about the plight of the American poor, then let her emigrate so that she can get a job there!
I’ve cross-posted to the Maple Sandbox the links that Tim has posted (the Globe and Mail story, and Tim’s post over a year ago about McQuaig’s pro-FATCA position expressed in her book). My own post is at this link
http://maplesandbox.ca/2013/fatca-supporter-linda-mcquaig-wants-the-ndp-nomination-in-toronto-centre/
With your indulgence, I’ll add the afterthought to my post, which applies to anyone reading about this on either website:
I think this could be an excellent opportunity for Brockers and Sandboxers to raise Canadian awareness and to send a few cannon-shots-across-the-bows at MP-wannabees that this issue is going to affect votes in the next election. That’s what democracy is for, and so far it’s what we still have in Canada.
And let’s not just target NDP riding meetings on this issue — this question is fair game for any Tory, Liberal or Green nomination meeting too (though the Greens are more on-side and consistent on the FATCA issue than anyone else except the NDP’s BC caucus).
If you know anyone who lives in Toronto Centre who is an NDP member or supporter, please forward to the link to this post. I’m not sure what the deadline is for getting a party membership in time for the nomination meeting, nor when/where the meeting is, but it should be easy to find that out. Party membership is (or was, last time I did it) $25 a year, you only have to do it once and have to certify you aren’t a member of another party, and if the deadline hasn’t passed, you can go to the nomination meeting, ask questions and vote. If I resided in Toronto Centre, I’d consider that a good investment in striking a small blow or “mosquito bite” against FATCA.
“McQuaig was born in 1951 to a comfortable middle-class Toronto family”; “From 1963 to 1970 McQuaig attended Branksome Hall, a Toronto private girls school where she became president of the debating society, and from which she graduated with the Governor General’s medal for academic achievement”
http://www.branksome.on.ca/admissions/Pages/Payment-Plans.aspx
Wow…that I guess means she REALLY knows the plight of the less-fortunate. Seems like little Miss Privileged has a burr up her spine since Mommy & Daddy Warbucks paid for her tuition and she didn’t have to earn it herself.
Do I want someone like that in Toronto Center; not that it’s my riding that I vote in? Do I want her in Canadian politics. HELL NO. We have enough American apologist sell-outs already in Parliament.
The Animal
Officially I am supposed to say there are many “good” candidates running for all the parties. However, this is Toronto Centre Canada’s media capital were the “media” race is as important is any actual elections. The media ala Paul Wells of Maclean’s seem to really want a race between McQuaig and the “leading” Liberal candidate who has former MP Bill Graham and much of Kathleen Wynne’s backroom as her campaign staff.
Here is a video of the “leading” Liberal candidate. The one you may be forced to vote for instead of McQuaig.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12352177
The video is no joke and yes it is the right link. The woman in it is currently campaigning for the nomination in Toronto Centre and has the backing of Bob Rae, Kathleen Wynne et all.
Someone on LinkedIn said a few days ago that we seem to be overwhelmed as a society in a see of FATCA and Tax Evasion porn.
http://jasbirsandhu.ndp.ca/ – is MY MP. And he has openly expressed his adulation of Barack Obama, and hasn’t said a damned thing when I mentioned on his FB page about FATCA (and the fact that B.O. was the architect of that lovely little bit of overreaching legislation) other than to remove me from it. Figures…the NDP voters want to cozy up to Obama. Hell, they want him to be Canada’s next prime-minister. Well, I won’t be voting for him. I’ll be voting for the Greens as soon as I find out the MP for this riding and what his/her stance is on it. http://www.greenparty.ca/riding/59028 Mr. Drew Fenwick. I will be contacting him.
Incidentally, the Green Candidate for Surrey North, I found out is Bernadette Keenan. I will be contacting her about the over-reaching of the United States legislation into Canada (FATCA) and what we need to do to protect Canadian sovereignty. Her twitter is @BernadetteNTF. Please let ALL the Green Candidates know that this needs to be an election issue.
I posted the following on the Globe & Mail web site following the McQuaig article:
“I read elsewhere a comment that one cannot support Canadian Sovereignty and the Canadian Charter of Rights whilst also supporting the US extra territorial behavior evidenced for example by their FATCA legislation and bullying to force Canada and other countries to “voluntarily” surrender their Sovereignty in these matters. I agree that being a Canadian supporter of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Canadian Sovereignty is incompatible with supporting US interests in the matter of the FATCA fatwa. I am afraid that McQuaig does support FATCA and US incursions into the Canadian sphere and thus ipso facto she cannot be a True Canadian and represent Canadian interests in any level of Government.”
Perhaps others should go over there and make similar points.
@Nervousinvestor
The Toronto Centre by-election will be a big one! McQuaig has a good chance of getting the NDP nomination. Her nomination will be an opportunity to raise the profile of FATCA, US police coming to Canada, etc.
I am delighted to report that, in response to a post I put on the website of Jennifer Hollett, who is McQuaig’s chief opponent in the NDP nomination race for Toronto Centre, and who recently was endorsed by Paul Dewar, my MP and the NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, I now know that Hollett and her team are concerned about the problems with FATCA. In my opinion, Hollett deserved the support and vote of every Toronto Centre resident Brocker or Sandboxer who is or can justify becoming a member of the NDP in time to vote at the September 15 nomination meeting.
Here is what Jennifer’s campaign lead replied to me:
“As you’ve identified, there are many issues with FATCA that are deeply problematic and very concerning. It’s something we are keeping a close eye on. I understand that the NDP have been pressing the Conservative government for answers on FATCA, and I would be interested in knowing more; if you could forward me your five page email, I would be very grateful.”
The five-page email she refers to, which I mentioned in my email post to the campaign website, appears here on Sandbox:
http://maplesandbox.ca/2013/black-fly-time/
Jennifer Hollett’s campaign website is here:
http://jenniferhollett.com/
OK, Toronto-Centrists – this is your chance to make a real difference, if even a small one, to the political battle that is shaping up over FATCA and the IGA. If you sit on your hands, you have no more sympathy or support from me, and I don’t want to hear any more moaning about what FATCA may do to you. In a phrase, “put up or shut up.” Just do it. Get out there and vote for someone who wants to be your MP and who isn’t going to roll over for the IRS. McQuaig isn’t that person, and Hollett is, as far as I can see anyway.
cross-posed on Joe Smith’s thread about Jennifer, elsewhere on this website, to be sure no one misses this.
According to Kady O’Malley on CBC today, the earliest probably date for the by-election is October 21. That’s because there are now four vacant seats to fill, and unless Harper deviates from the usual practice of having all by-elections on the same day (for seats currently vacant), October 21 is the earliest date for the latest vacancy.
http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/politics/inside-politics-blog/2013/09/tory-mp-merv-tweed-quits-to-pursue-private-sector-opportunities.html
Most writers I’ve seen think Harper will want to have all four by-elections on October 21.
Don’t count on this until the by-election dates are actually announced, but it looks likely that people in Toronto Centre, and those who know people in Toronto Centre, may have another five weeks to educate the voters in that riding re FATCA, whatever the outcome of the NDP nomination might be.
The Greens clearly are opposed to FATCA; at least some parts of the NDP have “serious concerns” about it, even if McQuaig doesn’t. I don’t have a clue what the Liberal position is on this. If Flaherty has announced an IGA before October 21 (probably unlikely), analyze it carefully to decide whether it’s a sell-out or not. If he hasn’t announced an IGA, and rumour is negotiations are still underway, I’d assume by October 21 that it’s a sell-out and I wouldn’t recommend voting Tory unless there’s a reliable indication that Flaherty is really peeling the IGA terms back (unlikely the US would agree to that though, and also unlikely we’d have any reliable information on what’s going to be in the IGA if it hasn’t been announced).
So please, Toronto folks, keep informing people, raise a few questions at the NDP nomination meeting (and at the Liberal one in Toronto Centre, I don’t know whether it’s been announced or when), and keep hammering away. Once the candidates are all nominated, take a hard look at who they are, ask pointed questions in the candidate meetings, and vote accordingly.
It isn’t over until the final vote is counted in the by-election, and every vote may count (in the nomination meeting or in the by-election).
FYI the other by-elections are Brandon-Souris (Manitoba), Bourassa (Quebec), and Provencher (Manitoba). My hunch is there aren’t nearly as many FATCA-vulnerable people in any or all of those three ridings combined, compared with Toronto Centre, so it’s probably unlikely FATCA or the IGA will have any traction as issues in those three ridings. But I could be wrong. If anyone out there lives in one of those three ridings and has suggestions, please chime in.