As has been mentioned on another post, several activists with the Isaac Brock and Maple Sandbox sites have planned a demonstration in Toronto on November 13 and 14, on the sidewalk outside the convention centre where representatives of various Canadian financial institutions are meeting to discuss, among other things, “navigating the hurdles to compliance with FATCA.”
Five candidates for the Toronto Centre by-election, and their campaign organizations, have been invited to participate in the demonstration. They are the candidates for the Conservative, Green, Liberal, New Democrat, and Progressive Canadian parties. The Progressive Canadian party was included, in thanks for their support some months ago in organizing an excellent meeting in Toronto on FATCA and all that is wrong with it. The Greens, Liberals and New Democrats all have expressed major reservations about FATCA. The Conservatives were included in fairness and to signal that we are not partisans and represent a full spectrum of political views, while being united in opposition to FATCA and any Canada-US IGA.
We thought this would be an opportunity to learn exactly what degree of support these parties are, or are not, prepared to provide to those opposing FATCA and an IGA. After some discussion, a group of us agreed that all five of the mentioned parties should be contacted, but none of the other candidates on the ballot (eleven in total).
For those who are interested, attached is a PDF copy of the email that was sent to each of the five parties (with the organizer’s and sender’s personal particulars removed). generic candidate email
The Conservative email was copied to Jim Flaherty. The other four emails were copied to the parties’ leaders; also, the Liberal email was copied to MPs Ted Hsu, Scott Brison, and Irwin Cotler (Liberal justice critic and former Minister of Justice); and the NDP email was also copied to MP Murray Rankin.
We will keep you posted as to who does or does not accept the invitation. Draw your own conclusions from this information.
Linda McQuaig’s (NDP) campaign office is at this writing the only one to acknowledge and then reply; the reply says that Ms. McQuaig unfortunately “is unable to attend. Best of luck with your event!”
As replies are passed on to me, I will update in the comment thread to this post.
UPDATED NOVEMBER 9 – As IRSCompliantForever has noted in his update to his post on the demonstration, and as I’ve detailed in the comment thread below, I am pleased to announce that Progressive Canadian Party candidate Dorian Baxter has replied, saying his is attempting to rearrange his schedule so he can assist in our demonstration. The text of his reply appears below in my comment post today. At this time, only Baxter and McQuaig have replied.
Great initiative. It will be interesting to see who participates and whether there will be media coverage. Canadians need to wake up to the reality of FATCA.
@Shubert1975
I like this invitation to all the parties. It will be interesting to see who will come .
As Shirley Temple used to say, “OH MY GOODNESS!” This is really great.
Careful Em, we’re dating ourselves. You by mentioning Shirley Temple; me by knowing who she was! (And remembering the phrase, thanks for the memory …)
This kind of grassroots organizing is phenomenal to watch. Proud of everybody for your tireless efforts and relentlessness!
@ Schubert
She was a bit before my time but recently I found a bunch of her movies on youtube and I used them as a diversion from FATCA. She really was a spirit lifter.
I watched her on tv when I was a little girl. I loved Heidi…She had such a twinkle in her eye…she is still alive.
It’s good to integrate the Toronto Centre by-election into your opposition to FATCA.
Some thoughts:
First, I believe you are making a mistake in NOT contacting ALL of the Toronto Centre candidates. At worst you will “educate” people who are talking to others. At best, they may support you on their individual blogs, twitter accounts, etc. I don’t understand the reason for not reaching out to all.
You should know that there is an unusually aggressive (compared to other elections) dividing line between the “main party” candidates and the rest. (Do a search on “Toronto Centre All Candidates Debates) A failure to reach out to ALL may give those NOT contacted a reason to NOT support you. At the moment the smaller party and independents are fighting to be included in the debates. This fact may be something you can use to your advantage. (See my next suggestion.)
Second, speaking of debates. There are at least two all candidates in Toronto Centre taking place on November 20 and November 21. (Either two or three have already been cancelled because of candidate non-participation.) You can find details on the sites of the NDP and Liberal candidates. But, keep up with them because more debates may be added.
You would be well advised to attend these debates and possibly “protest” (as you are Nov. 13, 14 at the convention centre) outside these debate venues.
Third, there are three other by-elections on the same day. Don’t you think it would be wise to contact the candidates in those ridings as well?
My point is that this is a time when politicians have to at least pay “lip service” to the concerns of voters.
All the best!
Pingback: Liberal byelection candidate Chrystia Freeland is still thinking about the U.S. | Toronto Centre Debates - All candidates debate
@TorontoCentre,
Thanks for your input, and well wishes. No doubt, those involved in organizing next week’s protest will be considering your suggestions!
@TorontoCentre,
Although not all the Toronto Centre candidates were contacted, no invitation is required to show up for a public protest. Feel free to pass on information regarding Nov 13-14 protest to anyone who you think might be interested.
@all
Is it better to send these requests in writing than email….My son says sending letters instead of emails are more effective. What do you all think? I have been sending emails to all MPs and never a real actual letter.
We’ve discussed this here before. Most thought not — actual physical mail likely has better chance to get buried than our emails to our government representatives.
@Calgry411
I think so too. I remember being in Customer Service in a national Canadian company . We all were given out snail mail…and I observed some CS reps. filing them in the garbage can..Emails are saved forever, into the cloud.
My son is one of those who thinks FATCA will peter out. He is among those hopers.
@northernstar,
Peter out? I call that a state of denial (those stages of grief) — otherwise known as ‘head in the sand.’ Does your son realize how much the compliance industry has invested into FATCA becoming reality? The HIRE Act was likely correct US legislation for its birthing — it is job creation for the US income tax and US penalty compliance industry.
In my mind, the only way FATCA will be killed is by the governments of our countries outside the US standing up for their ‘US Person’ citizens and permanent residents. If it is to “peter out” it will be the US’s realization of how cumbersome and ineffective FATCA is well after other countries have changed their own laws and discarded their peoples’ rights to make US “foreign financial institutions” and, in Canada’s case, the CRA arms of the IRS.
I would love to be proven wrong!
@Calgary411
You hit the nail on the head…Unfortunately there is nothing I can say or do to change his opinion, just like my friend who is also an AP..She is going to do nothing but pray.
@All.
a very interesting and truly inspiring email from my daily OM. I thought of all of us on Brock when I read it. Let our ripples go far and wide…
The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make affect the whole.
In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.
Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.
A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness.
re email vs snail mail … there is also the not-so-minor reality that we’re all volunteers, it takes time to organize things and get some kind of consensus, and then you realize it’s seven days before show time. Who ya gonna trust, email or Canada Post, when the time is tight and you don’t have a budget nor want to spend the time finding a courier service?
Please everyone, bear in mind everyone on this website is a volunteer, has another life to lead, and some of us don’t even have a pony in the FATCA race but want to help anyway…
@Schubert1975
I agree..It is a point my son brought up…He has a mental disorder of some kind…truly he does…I am his mother and am so sad that a lot of what he says is not actually correct. His thinking of FATCA is that it will fail… I am very saddened with is belief but he is an adult son, middle aged and today is his birthday. We had a great falling out over FATCA, but a mother never stops loving her children and keeps on hoping.
Ultimately, my fight is with my own Canadian government to stand up and say no to US FATCA — to protect ALL US Persons in Canada with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to not make US Persons in Canada second-class Canadians. As we all know, some of us will be more discoverable than others, i.e. just on our country of birth. Not one of us should have to figure out a work-around for this absurdity. Not one of us should have to pay the outrageous compliance fees to set us free — or continue that obscene extra cost for little or no taxes owed to the US, year after year after year. US law should not be in Canada period. None of us should have to go through the process of claiming relinquishment or renouncing US citizenship to be free. None of us should have to continue our lives looking over our shoulders, wondering if there will be some IRS whistleblower or some NSA information to nab us. We are not criminals. We are not US chattel. We are Canadians — and others who have made our lives in our countries outside of the US.
@northernstar
Your friend better pray harder.
@Calgary411,
“We are not US CHATTEL. We are CANADIANS!” That makes for an awesome sign slogan!
@Northernstar,
Re: “The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make affect the whole”. I think I read the text you commented on, or something very similar, somewhere before. It makes sense to me,
@WhiteKat and Calgary411
I like that slogan.
I will run it by the group….I still a few signs to make…2 signs – with 2 sides done
1 with only 1 side done.
have 3 more. with double sides I can do…
It is a tough job teachers have making all those posters and signs…not easy.
I hope there will be a throng or at least a mini-throng to protest on Nov 14 and 15. The banksters and the helping-to-make-the-banksters-compliant types need to be confronted by numbers. Although, I think you can’t beat a couple of non-threatening-mom types for reaching out to the general public. As someone mentioned somewhere, ordinary people will be more likely to approach a smaller rather than a bigger congregation of protesters. Curiosity will bring them in and the compelling nature of our cause will send them away thinking (and hopefully with a fact sheet in hand). Rock on, Ontario Brockers!