The good news is that she will now have to reconcile her FATCA position with the NDP position that FATCA is a fundamental violation of Canadian citizens’ rights! Consider emailing this to her! lmcquaig@sympatico.ca
The good news is that she will now have to reconcile her FATCA position with the NDP position that FATCA is a fundamental violation of Canadian citizens’ rights! Consider emailing this to her! lmcquaig@sympatico.ca
Maybe her constituents need to hear how she supports throwing some of them under the bus, perhaps outside during one her next speaking engagements?
Someone please give this woman a hairbrush.
@bubblebustin,
Good idea!
Toronto Centre voters who (like me) are dismayed and disgusted by the NDP’s choice of a FATCA cheerleader as they candidate, might want to think seriously about voting Green in the by-election. Or, as someone has suggested to me privately, voting strategically “anyone but McQuaig.” But I’d never been a fan of “strategic voting;” if I can’t vote for someone I actually believe in and who says things I agree with, what is the point of voting at all, and what is the point of living in a democracy? So … don’t vote for someone most likely to defeat someone you don’t like; why not vote instead for what you believe in, and for someone who shares those views?
Check out the Green Party’s official position on FATCA here
http://www.greenparty.ca/statement/2013-01-28/backgrounder-canada-and-fatca
You won’t find anything comparable to this on the NDP website, though while she was still in Parliament Denise Savoie, former NDP MP from BC, had something this good (and a letter she sent on House of Commons stationery to President Obama on behalf of her affected constituents) on her website. But sadly she resigned from Parliament for health reasons, and that website is down and I can’t find any trace now of her letters or the joint letter the entire NDP BC caucus signed about FATCA.
Mulcair himself, and the NDP’s main party website, have been utterly silent on the issue. I have some suspicions about why this is, but I’ll hold my fire for about a week before starting a thread on that. (Anyone who got the NDP’s fund-raising “Team 2015” pitch in the mail the past few days, read about half-way down page two of Rotman’s letter and I think you’ll see what I’m stewing about. Mulcair and my NDP MP already know what I’m stewing about, or they will tomorrow morning when they or their staff open their email. I’m giving them a few days to respond before going public on this, as a begrudging courtesy.)
If McQuaig is one-tenth the “intellectual” her media friends say she is in today’s releases, she’ll re-educate herself on FATCA PDQ, reverse her position, tell people this, or (I hope) lose the by-election.
Elizabeth May, as was pointed out to me recently and as I’d missed, has actually visited our website and about five days ago posted a reply to one of our other threads under her own name (a moderator of the website has informed me the IP address for that post was checked and yes, in fact, it is the real Elizabeth May and not someone masquerading in her name). Ms. May as, as far as I know, the ONLY MP, never mind party leader, who has posted on this website or has given any of us the time of day in private emails. I’m impressed by that, tremendously.
Think about these things, if you are a Toronto Centre voter and are voting in the by-election. There is another choice, besides Liberal/Conservative/NDP, and while the choice isn’t a big party yet, things can change fast in politics — especially when traditional parties throw segments of voters (and our national sovereignty and principles) under buses and voters get really pissed off.
And no matter in what riding in Canada you live, think about this in the general election, whenever it happens. Give the Greens a listen and some careful thought.
Ms. May has single handedly made Green’s out of more than one Brocker. I will include myself among that number. I no longer hold out any faith the NDP will hold true to it’s Jack Layton values. They are already starting to use a non “purity” argument. Which btw, was used to hippy shame progs whenever Mr. Nobel Prize wanted to go to war, collude with insurance industry and pHarma or generally behave just as GWB did. After all we can’t be “pure” can we? Where have I heard that before?
So the NDP has decided to go along with the so called democratic party in the U.S. I feel Ms. McQuaig even if she spoke too soon should just move to the U.S. so she can serve Obama as she seems to so fervently wish to. I also do not want to be a member of a party that uses U.S. campaign tactics in Canada or brings up then uses the worst of their practices. I.E. The so called “purity argument” Goodbye NDP. Hello Greens!
In a perverse way, maybe it’s a good thing that McQuaig won the nomination. This may put the NDP leadership on the spot about their true opinion of FATCA. It’s up to us to make sure our displeasure is known.
@ Schubert
I’ll admit that it was I who asked Elizabeth to comment here. I was very pleased that she found the time in her very busy schedule.
Here it is in the Star:
http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2013/09/15/linda_mcquaig_wins_ndp_nomination_in_toronto_centre.html
In searches of Linda Mcquaig and FATCA, I can’t find where she says she out and out supports FATCA. In an excerpt from her book linked to here:
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/09/22/linda-mcquaig-and-neil-brooks-traitors-to-canada-on-fatca/
She mentions FATCA but suggests what she thinks would be a better approach to combatting offshore tax evasion.
Also here:
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2013/04/09/linda-mcquaid-burn-in-hell/
She writes admiringly of a sweeping law that the US passed, but doesn’t refer to it by name. (We know it to be FATCA, but why mention your support of something that specifically threatens Canadian sovereignty by name when you’re on a rhetorical rant?)
I too would like to see her feet held to the flame on FATCA.
So what do we know about the Liberal candidate, Chrystia Freeland – other than she is another journalist? Perhaps we need to bombard her with FATCA info and ammo against McQuaid, who frankly is just following party line and Mulcair’s example of toadying to the USG.
@Hazy Thanks for asking Elizabeth May to comment. Even if it was in response to a request, she responded, which is still a lot more than anyone can say for Mulcair or Trudeau, neither of whom have deigned to reply to emails from anyone I know. Nor does either party have a position paper posted about FATCA on their websites. (I wouldn’t expect the Tories to, given their government is conducting negotiations. But we do have Flaherty’s letters in response to emails, not to mention his famous letter to US media which they didn’t publish; all of that is far more than Mulcair or Trudeau have produced on the subject, which is squat, as far as I know.)
On the subject of letter publication, I find it passing strange that the New York Times gave op-ed space for Putin but didn’t publish Flaherty’s letter. So much for the fiction of Canada being the US’ best friend and closest partner, blah blah blah. Not that Russia is a friend of Obama, mind you. But, as I said to friends this weekend, you know a country is in trouble when a retired KGB colonel exhibits better political and diplomatic sense than the president of the country and his secretary of state, whatever else you might think about the colonel’s policies in other areas. Boy was Hilary Clinton right when in 2008 she suggested Obama would be over his head in the White House.
So what does that say about a Canadian political party boasting in a fund-raising letter about having THE Obama campaign strategist designing their 2015 campaign strategy for them? More on that in a few days …
My condolences to Toronto Centre residents, who, in terms of probably media coverage of the by-election, are going to be treated to the spectacle of two talking heads yabbering at each other. You’d think the Libs and the Dips might have learned something from the spectacle of what happens when you appoint a couple of journalists to the Senate … I guess not.
I wonder which party hopes to recruit Peter Mansbridge to run. Somehow I think he’s too smart to accept a Senate appointment.
@all, I got the impression from a couple of stories today 1) this by-election and 2) the whole uproar in Quebec about the “values” charter that the Libs are exploiting pretty effectively that this particular riding race might be followed quite closely by the press and if Brockers are in the area, might not any events attached to this be good places to show up with signage and handouts? Even if neither candidate can be persuaded to take up our cause, nothing prevents us from using them as a jump off point to a wider audience, right?
@ Schubert
I got this reply from Justin Trudeau.
Dear [Em],
Thank you very much for your email dated February 17th, 2013 regarding the Liberal Party`s stance on the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and the impact it has on Canadians.
While the prevention of tax evasion is an important objective, it is important that the government also stands up for those Canadians who are being unjustly caught up in complex, American tax rules.
It is important that the IRS communicate clearly with Canadians affected by FATCA to help avoid the heavy penalties that come with failure to comply with the act. As the legislation is written by America for Americans, it is important that we ensure that our own legislation is not being hindered by these agreements. With regards to the taxation of deferred saving vehicles such as RESPs and RRSPs, as well as the taxation of Tax Free Savings Accounts, we must ensure that Canadians, who are using such programs legitimately, are protected accordingly. Canadians should not be punished for acting responsibly by saving for education and retirement.
Furthermore, it is important that any sharing of personal information between Canadian banks and the IRS only take place with substantial safeguards and oversight to protect Canadians` interests.
The Liberal Party of Canada has raised this issue in Question Period and will continue to press the Conservative government to protect Canadians.
Sincerely,
Justin P.J. Trudeau
I followed up with another e-mail but I did not get a reply that time.
Dear Mr. Trudeau,
I was very pleased to receive your response and my thanks to you and the Liberal Party for calling on the Canadian government to protect Canadian residents from the consequences of the US legislation called FATCA.
I do not think it is possible to put “substantial safeguards” in place, either here or in the USA, which would totally protect the financial privacy of Canadian residents if the Canadian government allows FATCA to be implemented here. The USA has no more competence in this regard than any other nation or entity. The IRS has already been found lacking in the security department with a current surge in identity theft and false refund filings within the USA so how could we expect any better security on a global scale? The risks are simply too great. With FATCA, the amount of detailed information transmitted would be devastating for an unfortunately targeted individual not IF but WHEN it passes through the hands or across the computer screen of someone with ill intent.
FATCA is a potential slippery slope too. To subject some Canadian residents to this type of intense financial scrutiny could quite arguably be called discrimination. Therefore I believe it would not be very long before the Canadian government, under the guise of treating everyone in Canada “equally”, would require financial institutions to file the same detailed reports on ALL Canadians to the CRA, not just residents with US connections, a 3% subset of the population. The best solution therefore is to NOT send the 3% into the FATCA maelstrom because eventually the other 97% would be fodder for a similar vortex — all in the name of “fairness” of course.
I urge you and your party to fight against the implementation of FATCA in Canada as I’m certain you recognize that Canada and the USA already have a more than adequate tax treaty in place. If Canada is to maintain any semblance of sovereignty it should not succumb to additional US interference into the financial lives of honest, tax-paying Canadian residents.
Sincerely,
[Em]
Thanks for sharing, Em. Trudeau’s letter was fairly carefully worded but he clearly intends to try to walk the impossible tight rope between sovereignty and bending over just like Harper is trying. I like Trudeau but he’s wrong. Canada needs to stand up and start saying “no” rather than continuing with the charade that it can have it both ways.
On the subject of the by-election, we know McQuaig is a dual but is Freeland? She’s married to a Brit who writes for the NYT’s and they currently live in NYC (she is/was a talking head on on Morning Joe)/.
And somebody please tell me what is wrong with expecting MP’s to actually live in or by from the area recently of the riding’s they are running to represent?
“Talking head on Morning Joe.” Bleh. I wish we could correct posts!
Joe Scarbough, by the way, is a conservative douche bag. That’s the best the Libs can do? Where is the change in that, Mr. Trudeau?
Yes, thanks for sharing Em, and even though it might just be a cleverly written form letter from Mr Trudeau, it’s a lot more than others writing to Mr Mulcair have apparently received.
@Yoga Girl, is Mcquaig a dual? Maybe you’re confusing her with Diane Francis of ‘expensive perch’ fame?
bubblebustin, yes, you are right. Mcquaig is just mindless supporter of FATCA.
But, during a Google I found a comment on a post from last year by Tim that puts the the LIberal candidate in perspective:
Tim says
July 25, 2012 at 9:20 am
*Felix Salmon is in fact a UK expat living in New York. His boss at Reuters(technically a Canadian company) too is someone named Chrystia Freeland who grew up in Edmonton and whose mother was involved in Alberta NDP politics in the 1970s. Chrystia Freeland is definitely what they call in the US a talking head. Salmon has also been very critical of both Jim Flaherty and Stephen Harper for criticizing a global bank tax saying they weren’t team players. Felix Salmon also appears a lot on BNN TV in Canada and wrote a very critical piece on Eduardo Saverin for which I believe he might already be on the Wall of Shame.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2012/07/24/my-big-fat-belizean-singaporean-bank-account/
They are both in it for the “glory” and glamor.
Freeland appears to have been fully dipped into American politics and society prior to her need to return to her roots via an MP job in a riding she doesn’t live anywhere near. Oh well, pols are pols are pols no matter what the country. Couldn’t find her position on FATCA but she has written about the tax “dodging” in terms of corporations and she probably isn’t any better are distinguishing corps from people than anyone else.
@Yoga Girl
Great sleuthing, but at this point I have to say that I’m not all that invested in Ontario politics to want to
personally challenge Mcquaig or Freeland on where they stand on FATCA. At least for me, it’s best left to those within their jurisdiction, of which there seems to be a more than a competent few 🙂
bubblebustin, for sure. But there’s nothing preventing us from putting the info out there – properly tagged for anyone who does live in the area. When I googled FATCA and her name, the first two posts where from Brock.
The Globe and Mail has an article up about the Freeland-McQuaig match up. Is anyone up to posting a FATCA directed comment there? It would take 20 thumbs up to get it up to the highest score and therefore best visibility. I’d do it but I think I’m on the moderator’s list there and I’m not always successful at getting my comments posted (not sure why). I can always get a thumbs up recorded though.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-new-democracts-in-toronto-centre-vote-to-select-by-election-candidates/article14326602/comments/
The McQuiaig Freeland “face off” is wonderful news. Here we have a heavyweight face off where:
In this corner, from upper class Toronto, educated at the most expensive private schools, never having to worry about where her next meal is coming from, runner up in the world “Miss Hypocrisy Contest”, a supporter of FATCA – the legislation designed to destroy the lives of U.S. persons in Canada; and
In the other corner, born in Alberta, fresh from the U.S.A. a U.S. person who FATCA is designed to destroy, demonstrating the lie of Justin’s open nomination process, ….
This will be a wonderful opportunity to get FATCA on the radar.
The by-election in Toronto-Centre (and others) is an opportunity to make FATCA a household name.
Interestingly, McQuaig and Freeland are likely to split the vote, providing the opportunity for a third candidate (Schubert talks about strong support for the Greens):
Who oppose FATCA
to walk up the middle).
YES, political theatre at its finest.
Seize the day! Those opposing FATCA have been just handed a great great gift!
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jj-mccullough/linda-mcquaig_b_3724806.html
The Atticus comment is “best of bunch”.
While there has been a great deal of attention focused on Toronto Centre (after all, it is the centre of the Universe), don’t forget the upcoming by election in the Montreal riding of Bourassa. Some pundits are saying that Georges Laraque, the Green party candidate, has an outside chance. After all, he was in the NHL and played for the Canadiens. He’s also Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada.
He’s someone to watch. His contact info for the campaign is bourassa2013@greenparty.ca
@Hazy Go Greens!
The NDP did so well in Quebec in the last election entirely (as I see it) from two things: a) total disgust by many Quebecois(e) with the other parties including the Bloc, so what do we have to lose by trying NDP nobodies they can’t possibly be worse than these other people and b) Jack Layton. As has become a cliché to say, Tom Mulcair is no Jack Layton, not by a country mile. And given the lame performance of the NDP in the House, the “orange crush” sheen is probably wearing very thin in a lot of Quebec ridings. So where to turn next? Why not a francophone hockey player for the Greens? This isn’t as much of a long shot as it might seem. I think the NDP are going to find themselves in a bit of a scramble in Quebec in 2015, not to mention they only have a single MP between the Ontario and BC borders.
Does anyone know anything about the Green candidate in Toronto Centre?
John Deverall, another journalist,, is running for the Greens.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/09/09/exstar_journalist_john_deverell_joins_toronto_centre_race.html
http://www.greenparty.ca/media-release/2013-09-09/john-deverell-will-be-green-party-s-candidate-toronto-centre-election
Ask your questions about the NDP and Toronto Centre candidate’s position on FATCA?
https://www.facebook.com/TCNDP/events
Linda McQuaig talks tax http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/17/tom-mulcair-linda-mcquaig-tax-rich_n_3941946.html but hasn’t yet singled out ‘Americans in Canada’ by mentioning FATCA.
Also in National Post: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/09/17/michael-den-tandt-tom-mulcairs-mcquaig-problem/