I just received the official invitation to appear before the Finance Committee as part of a panel. I will try to find out who the other panel members will be. I am also trying to determine if I am able to participate via video or if I need to be in Ottawa in person.
Dear Ms. Swanson,
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance would like to invite the Maple Sandbox Blog to appear before the Committee, on May 13, 2014, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (Ottawa time) in relation to its study of Part 5 of Bill C-31 entitled An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures.
Your participation, as part of a panel, consists of an opening statement of up to five minutes, followed by rounds of questions from the members of the Committee. You are invited to review the attached document entitled Guidelines for Witnesses prior to your appearance before the Committee. You could, if you choose to do so, submit a 5-page brief to the Committee. It will be translated as soon as possible, distributed to the members and published on the Finance Committee Website.
Please confirm your presence by responding to this email, by May 6 at noon. Upon confirmation, we will provide you with further details regarding your appearance.
Here is the link to Bill C-31
Cross posted from Maple Sandbox
Related (not from Maple Sandbox)
Additionally, John Richardson will testify before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, on May 14, 2014, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. (Ottawa time) in relation to its study of Part 5 of Bill C-31 entitled An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures.
@WhiteKat: I didn’t think you were criticizing me. Is an amendment the best we can hope for? Perhaps. But, the amendment put forward by Anne Frank would really be a win for us. It would ensure Canadian citizens and residents are excluded from any FATCA reporting under the IGA or under the Act. Isn’t that what we want?
What do you suggest?
Here is info from the ParlVU site:
ParlVU is a webcasting service that provides users with access to the live and archived streams of video and audio for the House of Commons proceedings, televised committees, and the audio of all public committees.
For more information on the how ParlVu functions, use the ParlVU Help tab above.
The Canadian Public can access ParlVU for the House of Commons, by going to the Parliamentary website (http://www.parl.gc.ca) and clicking the Webcast link in the House of Commons section.
What’s new?
ParlVu Mobile: Mobile users may now view the live Chamber proceedings on Blackberry 10 and most Android, iPhone, and iPad devices at the following address: m.parl.gc.ca
Closed Captioning: Starting October 2013, House sittings and televised committee meetings will now be offered with closed captioning on ParlVU. To access it, click the CC button at the right corner of the ParlVU player.
I understand this will also be televised on CPAC. That is on Channel 97 on Rogers where I live.
Hi Blaze, I’ve nothing to suggest, and am crossing fingers that the amendment will be accepted.
Good luck Tuesday!
Although the meeting will be televised on CPAC, it may not be televised live. If the House is in session, House proceedings have priority over committee meetings (as far as I know).
There is a schedule on the CPAC website, although it is only for the current day and the next day. It will be worthwhile to check on May 12th or 13th or 14th for the House Finance meeting.
BTW, this afternoon, both House and Senate meetings at which FATCA was discussed will be on CPAC.
Yes, Anne Frank’s amendment would be a very satisfactory victory for us (the risk of our private financial data being sent to the IRS would be gone and we would no longer be 2nd class citizens in our own country). Our Charter rights would not be violated and there would be no need to pursue the Charter challenge.
US residents with Canadian financial accounts would still be reported, regardless of citizenship. I would be curious to know how many US citizens are actually hiding their money “offshore” in Canadian accounts – as Jim Flaherty pointed out Canada is not a tax haven. As for Canadian citizens living and working in the US (and there are many), well if they have accounts back home in Canada I hope that they know about their FBAR filing requirements. But then they have chosen to live in the lair of the dragon.
Makes me wonder about Wayne Gretzy, Celine Dion, Jim Carrey, Justin Bieber etc. …
The only problem with Anne Frank’s amendment is that it is not what the USG wants, and our Conservative government show no signs of being able or willing to cross them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jim Flaherty tried to negotiate this early on and was not successful. Nevertheless we should push the MP’s and Senators as hard as we can to adopt the amendment.
Mr. A: Yes, we should push them as hard as we can to adopt the amendment.
If they refuse to consider or adopt it, they will send a very powerful message–a foreign government now dictates Canadian laws are. Or, as Mike Allen said at Finance Committee last week: Congress has spoken.
@Blaze “If they refuse to consider or adopt it, they will send a very powerful message–a foreign government now dictates Canadian laws are.”
Canada and the Government will have succumbed to extortion because that is what it is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extortion
The problem with paying shakedown money is not the first demand, its the second demand, then the third demand.
With a 30% threat of withholding the sitting Canadian Government is willing to throw Canadian Citizens whose only crime was that the a provincial health service sent them across the border, under the bus.
IF this IGA causes banks to ask place of birth of the applicant, the next IGA will ask citizenship of parents, the next IGA will ask birthplace of parents. After all we need to smoke out those that are hiding.
As I think about this, any accidental American in Canada should be able to take legal action against the provincial health authority at the time, if their mother was sent across the border to give birth.
The respective province should pay all legal expenses, tax and penalties so the person can renounce. Plus the respective province should have to pay compensation for the trauma involved.
That’s right George, FATCA is also going to turn Canadian against Canadian. I would think that there will be a lot of people not too happy to take the fall alone.
@ George – RE provincial health plan paying for expenses in US renunciation – – a REALLY interesting idea. However, some of us on the older side were born before there was a provincial health plan……
It’s all a matter of changing rules over time that really becomes onerous and difficult to navigate and who among us would have imagined (10 years ago) that any of this would have turned out this way?
@George Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!….this accidental was not sent over the border to be born, but will be the class of the action if necessary…no way, is this over, no matter what happens next week.
This is my first Mother’s Day in 63 years without my mother.
Mom inherited her feisty, stubborn and independent genes from her mother and passed them on directly to her two daughters. I will honour her by trying to be strong and feisty in my grand total of five minutes before the Finance Committee on Tuesday.
@ Blaze
You have already honoured your mother and your testimony on tuesday will simply be a continuance of that. We will all be with you that day in living spirit and your mother will be your guardian angel. It will go well.
Blaze, you are lucky to have had her strong influence for so many years (my mother died when I was 24). I’m sure you will use those well honed family skills with wisdom and fine articulation. We are all behind you honoring your dedication, strength and courage in even trying to make these Conservative schmuzlk#q#v?x!v!&!s understand. 100 cyber hugs to you!
Mother’s day is bittersweet as we remember and miss them, and are thankful for having their presence in our lives for as long as we did.
Blaze, this is the kind of thing that mothers (and fathers) hope for their children; that they grow to be strong, intelligent and capable adults, to advocate for themselves and others, stand up for what is right, and use the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired in constructive ways.
Your mom would be pleased and proud.
Today’s the day and I woke up with the beginning of a cold–sore throat, stuffy nose and plugged ears.
I will not be scared off by a common cold or the FATCA Monster.
I just hope my voice holds. I often get laryngitis when I have a cold. Then again, I went to a job interview 34 years ago squawking like a chicken from a cold. I was hired. That launched my career in Human Resources.
@ Blaze
Remember, tomorrow is “National Dance Like a Chicken Day”. ( I kid you not)
http://www.punchbowl.com/holidays/national-chicken-dance-day
@Blaze
Feel us are all there with you. Together we can scare off that pesky cold/FATCA or whatever comes our way. Will send you healing vibes!
We are with you in spirit Blaze. All the best. Take heart from all that has been achieved to this point. Picture your icon – the Maple tree – steadfast, in all its glory.
@Blaze
Fortune favors the brave.
You will be great today.
Thinking of you, today, Blaze. I hope I’ll be able to listen live. Best of luck!
Find the CPAC TV channel in your area:
http://www.cpac.ca/en/full-schedule/?tz=nst
CHANGE FOR TODAY: I just received a call from the Clerk of the Finance Committee advising both panels for today have been changed from 90 minutes each to 60 minutes each.
The first panel will be 3:30 to 4:30. The second panel will be 4:30 to 5:30.
They are trying to arrange for the space for my video conferencing to be available earlier. When I spoke with the site last week, it was not available until 4:45. Finance Canada is trying to work something out so I can participate for the full hour.
The reason for the change is the House of Commons is meeting tonight.
Room OK for 4:30. Native Canadian is picking me up early because there is road construction directly in front of the site for video.