35 thoughts on “Dear Santa: Show Ginny & Gwen “Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus.”
Powerful and simple video. Going to Crimea and talking to the people. who voted 98% to join Russia and are very happy they have been returned to the mother country.
I thought Putin’s move was brilliant and necessary for the safety and security of Russia, Crimea AND Ukraine. Because what is going on in Ukraine is just an awful abuse of the people. And that abuse is coming from the West, US and banker interests.
It is also interesting to note that Russia’s naval base is in Crimea on the Black Sea and it was essential to secure that, yet he did NOT invade Crimea. There was a referendum and overwhelming support.
Also interesting that there was an incident in the Black Sea involving a US naval vessel and a sophisticated aircraft from Russia. Something which scared the US aboard that ship so much so as to come home and abruptly end their military careers and retire.
Thanks, Sid for this video. It is important and valuable history we all should know. Also on YouTube are videos of how the present puppet government in Kiev is abusing Ukraine military and people.
I thought the thread was diverging from gifts to ADCS to help our plaintiffs, Ginny and Gwen, BUT then I thought there is something to be said for the gift of truth too. My special thanks to FuriousAC, Sid, George and Bubblebustin for telling it like it is. The USA dishes out a heaping pile propaganda daily and way too many Americans and Canadians dig in like it’s a real meal deal. Happy to see we are not all swallowing it. Now back to filling up those pretty Christmas stockings for our very brave ladies …
@Sid – This is exactly as I had understood it. Our prime minister is an embarrassment. Who does he think he is trying to be the big hero telling Putin to get out of Crimea? I bet he failed history.
Maybe Putin should tell Harper to get out of Quebec, lol!
Hopefully, through the generosity and kindness of strangers Gwen and Ginny stockings will fill to overflowing. Perhaps, one day our truth will be told.
@Bubblebustin – I wish Putin was so quick on the draw with that response. I know he is usually pretty quick but I am betting he was taken aback by the sheer rudeness of our PM.
@Sid – I expect there will be a book published about this fight, sometime down the road 🙂
The fact that the US tells such lies and intimidates Russia, abuses Crimea and sanctions the entire world financially unless we all dance to their tune IS the very crux of the matter and the very reason we have a lawsuit and need to fill their stockings to overflowing. For their stockings are our stockings and their stories ARE OUR stories. Varied stories to be sure, but one overarching theme: Financial terrorism against us and our families. There are no tanks in our streets as in Ukraine , sponsored by a foreign entity determined to steal and plunder. We are not in a shooting war, but we ARE in a war. The stockings are our tanks and the lawsuit is our ultimate weapon.
I thought the analogy was pertinent to our cause, to everybody’s cause who want their freedom and privacy back. No matter where we are in this world. It is just now it is Russia who is bearing the brunt of sanctions and currency wars to take them down. Currency wars often end up in hot wars and we certainly do not want that. Not for Russia or for any of us who love our countries , our fellow countrymen and our way of life. THIS is the line in the sand. Beyond this they cannot go!
Those who come here like minded will donate, of that I am sure, and those around the world who hear the plight of all of us around the world will also join in and donate. We are just getting STARTED!
Harper’s behaviour toward Putin is very revealing, as is the behaviour of the Conservative government regarding the Financial Committee hearings. It is clear from both these examples who is really calling the shots in Ottawa.
It’s interesting that you would bring up those hearings, FuriousAC, as I was was referring to them in some correspondence I had with my riding’s new Liberal candidate, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones today. I wrote:
Thank you for your response, Pam. I would love to help arrange a meeting where you can connect with other constituents like me so that we may learn from each other on how to resolve these issues.
The Harper government is going down a slippery slope in creating different classes of Canadians. It’s very un-Canadian for a government to legislate fewer rights and protections for some Canadians based on national origin – or anything else. It’s also one thing for our government to acknowledge that the US taxes its citizens based on citizenship, but entirely another for them to change Canadian law to accommodate that reality. We are hoping to prove through the ADCS lawsuit that “dual” citizenship does not have legal standing under Canadian law. BTW, this is not the only lawsuit against the Harper government on this. The other is against Bill C-24, which you can read about here:
I’m going to include in this email a critical section of commentary from the Standing Committee on Finance when it discussed Bill C-31 prior to its passage. It’s between Murray Rankin and Gerald Keddy. The Harper government was given the opportunity to delay signing the FATCA IGA, but belligerently refused to consider anything else. A lot of people put a lot of time into studying the situation and offering the Conservative government an alternative to throwing +1M Canadians and their families under the bus. We were completely flabbergasted when the suggestions Mr Rankin made were so off-handedly dismissed by Mr Keddy:
Murray Rankin Victoria, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I’d like to set the context before I move the first of several amendments to part 5 of the budget implementation act pertaining to the implementation of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, as it’s more popularly known.
I’d like the members across to carefully consider the serious issues that have been raised at this committee concerning the implementation of this deeply flawed agreement. I hope they’ll carefully consider and support our NDP amendments that address some of the serious problems that have arisen.
It has become increasingly clear through departmental and witness appearances at this committee that the Conservative government simply has failed to adequately study the implications of FATCA and the implementation agreement with respect to privacy, constitutionality, and cost.
Rushing it through in an omnibus bill without proper study is not only reckless, but it’s also entirely unnecessary. The U.S. has recently delayed the application of FATCA sanctions until January 2015. Canada is already deemed in compliance with the U.S. law, and legal experts have testified to this committee that there’s ample time, therefore, to properly study and amend this agreement.
More than one million Canadians could be negatively affected by this deeply flawed agreement. So, we’re simply asking, yet again, that the Conservatives slow it down and remove FATCA from this budget bill, so it can be properly scrutinized and amended, and so we can ensure that Canadians’ privacy and constitutional rights are protected. Surely that’s of concern to every member of this committee. It’s more important, we say, to fix this and protect those many Canadians who are going to be affected than it is to ram this through in an omnibus budget bill, in which this agreement has no place being in the first place.
The first amendment, Mr. Chair, is NDP-6, which simply would say, in clause 99, that it be amended by adding after line 11 on page 73, the following:
“(2) Despite any other provision of this Act or the Agreement, for all purposes related to the implementation of this Act and the Agreement, “U.S. Person” and “Specified U.S. Person” does not include any person who is (a) a Canadian citizen within the meaning of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and (b) ordinarily resident in Canada.”
This amendment is intended to address one of the most central issues pertaining to FATCA and perhaps its greatest flaw, that this will impact Canadian citizens who are deemed to be U.S. persons and targeted by this agreement, but who are in every other way our fellow Canadian citizens and permanent residents of this country.
I’d like to thank Lynne Swanson, who appeared before this committee, Dr. Stephen Kish, and so many others for their dedicated work to advocate for those who will be undeservedly caught in the FATCA net. Many experts have analyzed the agreement, and it was really negotiated with the protection of banks in mind, they have told us, not the people who will be affected.
I ask the members opposite to carefully consider and support this amendment which, if passed, would protect our fellow Canadian citizens who, for all practical purposes, should not be affected by this agreement, and who should have the same rights as every other citizen. We should not create a second class of Canadians with a second set of rights just because American law deems them to be U.S. persons. Even those born in Canada can be caught in the FATCA net.
Finally, this would help the government avoid an inevitable charter challenge, which I hope they would be interested in avoiding.
That is the purpose and intent of NDP-6, Mr. Chair.
May 29th, 2014 / 3:40 p.m.
Conservative
Gerald Keddy South Shore—St. Margaret’s, NS
Mr. Chairman, of course, what the honourable member’s really asking us to do is change how the Americans apply their own laws, which they have a right to do. We don’t have to agree with it, but they tax based on citizenship and that’s simply how it is. Worse yet, his amendment would really not just change the way the Canada and the United States enhanced tax information exchange agreement works, but it would actually override the terms of the intergovernmental agreement negotiated with the U.S. providing that the terms “U.S. Person” or “Specified U.S. Person” do not include a person ordinarily resident in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. Of course, what they leave out of that is that person would also have to be a U.S. citizen or a dual citizen.
The amendment would mean that the financial accounts of U.S. citizens who have such connections to Canada would not be reported. It is clear, Mr. Chairman, that the scope of persons in respect of which the U.S. seeks information under the IGA consistent with the U.S. tax legislation includes all U.S. citizens, including those who are dual citizens or residents of another country. This is based on the requirements of the U.S. tax system, as I mentioned earlier, which places tax filing obligations on all U.S. citizens, even those who are also citizens of another country. At the end of the day, this would result in Canadian financial institutions and their clients being exposed to the U.S. FATCA withholding tax.
Finally, I want to say there’s really some misleading information being put out here. U.S. citizens have always been applicable to paying taxes in the U.S. if they were following the tax regime of the U.S. Most of us have some U.S. relatives or U.S. family members or U.S. connection, especially if you live in Atlantic Canada. The reality is the difference here is no different from U.S. tax law. The difference is they’re enforcing the rules that have always been in place. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you have to comply with U.S. tax rules and you have to file income tax. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to pay income tax, but you’ve always been responsible to file. That comes with the duty of citizenship. We can like it or not, but it’s not up to us to make that judgment.
I wonder when returning to Canada from the US, will the Canadian border guard ask what class of Canadian I am when asking my citizenship? I’m sure they all know there are now 2 classes thanks to our corrupt government.
Powerful and simple video. Going to Crimea and talking to the people. who voted 98% to join Russia and are very happy they have been returned to the mother country.
I thought Putin’s move was brilliant and necessary for the safety and security of Russia, Crimea AND Ukraine. Because what is going on in Ukraine is just an awful abuse of the people. And that abuse is coming from the West, US and banker interests.
It is also interesting to note that Russia’s naval base is in Crimea on the Black Sea and it was essential to secure that, yet he did NOT invade Crimea. There was a referendum and overwhelming support.
Also interesting that there was an incident in the Black Sea involving a US naval vessel and a sophisticated aircraft from Russia. Something which scared the US aboard that ship so much so as to come home and abruptly end their military careers and retire.
Thanks, Sid for this video. It is important and valuable history we all should know. Also on YouTube are videos of how the present puppet government in Kiev is abusing Ukraine military and people.
I thought the thread was diverging from gifts to ADCS to help our plaintiffs, Ginny and Gwen, BUT then I thought there is something to be said for the gift of truth too. My special thanks to FuriousAC, Sid, George and Bubblebustin for telling it like it is. The USA dishes out a heaping pile propaganda daily and way too many Americans and Canadians dig in like it’s a real meal deal. Happy to see we are not all swallowing it. Now back to filling up those pretty Christmas stockings for our very brave ladies …
@Sid – This is exactly as I had understood it. Our prime minister is an embarrassment. Who does he think he is trying to be the big hero telling Putin to get out of Crimea? I bet he failed history.
Maybe Putin should tell Harper to get out of Quebec, lol!
Hopefully, through the generosity and kindness of strangers Gwen and Ginny stockings will fill to overflowing. Perhaps, one day our truth will be told.
@Bubblebustin – I wish Putin was so quick on the draw with that response. I know he is usually pretty quick but I am betting he was taken aback by the sheer rudeness of our PM.
@Sid – I expect there will be a book published about this fight, sometime down the road 🙂
The fact that the US tells such lies and intimidates Russia, abuses Crimea and sanctions the entire world financially unless we all dance to their tune IS the very crux of the matter and the very reason we have a lawsuit and need to fill their stockings to overflowing. For their stockings are our stockings and their stories ARE OUR stories. Varied stories to be sure, but one overarching theme: Financial terrorism against us and our families. There are no tanks in our streets as in Ukraine , sponsored by a foreign entity determined to steal and plunder. We are not in a shooting war, but we ARE in a war. The stockings are our tanks and the lawsuit is our ultimate weapon.
I thought the analogy was pertinent to our cause, to everybody’s cause who want their freedom and privacy back. No matter where we are in this world. It is just now it is Russia who is bearing the brunt of sanctions and currency wars to take them down. Currency wars often end up in hot wars and we certainly do not want that. Not for Russia or for any of us who love our countries , our fellow countrymen and our way of life. THIS is the line in the sand. Beyond this they cannot go!
Those who come here like minded will donate, of that I am sure, and those around the world who hear the plight of all of us around the world will also join in and donate. We are just getting STARTED!
Harper’s behaviour toward Putin is very revealing, as is the behaviour of the Conservative government regarding the Financial Committee hearings. It is clear from both these examples who is really calling the shots in Ottawa.
It’s interesting that you would bring up those hearings, FuriousAC, as I was was referring to them in some correspondence I had with my riding’s new Liberal candidate, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones today. I wrote:
Thank you for your response, Pam. I would love to help arrange a meeting where you can connect with other constituents like me so that we may learn from each other on how to resolve these issues.
The Harper government is going down a slippery slope in creating different classes of Canadians. It’s very un-Canadian for a government to legislate fewer rights and protections for some Canadians based on national origin – or anything else. It’s also one thing for our government to acknowledge that the US taxes its citizens based on citizenship, but entirely another for them to change Canadian law to accommodate that reality. We are hoping to prove through the ADCS lawsuit that “dual” citizenship does not have legal standing under Canadian law. BTW, this is not the only lawsuit against the Harper government on this. The other is against Bill C-24, which you can read about here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rocco-galati-launches-lawsuit-over-citizenship-act-changes-1.2687221
I’m going to include in this email a critical section of commentary from the Standing Committee on Finance when it discussed Bill C-31 prior to its passage. It’s between Murray Rankin and Gerald Keddy. The Harper government was given the opportunity to delay signing the FATCA IGA, but belligerently refused to consider anything else. A lot of people put a lot of time into studying the situation and offering the Conservative government an alternative to throwing +1M Canadians and their families under the bus. We were completely flabbergasted when the suggestions Mr Rankin made were so off-handedly dismissed by Mr Keddy:
Murray Rankin Victoria, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I’d like to set the context before I move the first of several amendments to part 5 of the budget implementation act pertaining to the implementation of the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, as it’s more popularly known.
I’d like the members across to carefully consider the serious issues that have been raised at this committee concerning the implementation of this deeply flawed agreement. I hope they’ll carefully consider and support our NDP amendments that address some of the serious problems that have arisen.
It has become increasingly clear through departmental and witness appearances at this committee that the Conservative government simply has failed to adequately study the implications of FATCA and the implementation agreement with respect to privacy, constitutionality, and cost.
Rushing it through in an omnibus bill without proper study is not only reckless, but it’s also entirely unnecessary. The U.S. has recently delayed the application of FATCA sanctions until January 2015. Canada is already deemed in compliance with the U.S. law, and legal experts have testified to this committee that there’s ample time, therefore, to properly study and amend this agreement.
More than one million Canadians could be negatively affected by this deeply flawed agreement. So, we’re simply asking, yet again, that the Conservatives slow it down and remove FATCA from this budget bill, so it can be properly scrutinized and amended, and so we can ensure that Canadians’ privacy and constitutional rights are protected. Surely that’s of concern to every member of this committee. It’s more important, we say, to fix this and protect those many Canadians who are going to be affected than it is to ram this through in an omnibus budget bill, in which this agreement has no place being in the first place.
The first amendment, Mr. Chair, is NDP-6, which simply would say, in clause 99, that it be amended by adding after line 11 on page 73, the following:
“(2) Despite any other provision of this Act or the Agreement, for all purposes related to the implementation of this Act and the Agreement, “U.S. Person” and “Specified U.S. Person” does not include any person who is (a) a Canadian citizen within the meaning of the Citizenship Act or a permanent resident within the meaning of subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and (b) ordinarily resident in Canada.”
This amendment is intended to address one of the most central issues pertaining to FATCA and perhaps its greatest flaw, that this will impact Canadian citizens who are deemed to be U.S. persons and targeted by this agreement, but who are in every other way our fellow Canadian citizens and permanent residents of this country.
I’d like to thank Lynne Swanson, who appeared before this committee, Dr. Stephen Kish, and so many others for their dedicated work to advocate for those who will be undeservedly caught in the FATCA net. Many experts have analyzed the agreement, and it was really negotiated with the protection of banks in mind, they have told us, not the people who will be affected.
I ask the members opposite to carefully consider and support this amendment which, if passed, would protect our fellow Canadian citizens who, for all practical purposes, should not be affected by this agreement, and who should have the same rights as every other citizen. We should not create a second class of Canadians with a second set of rights just because American law deems them to be U.S. persons. Even those born in Canada can be caught in the FATCA net.
Finally, this would help the government avoid an inevitable charter challenge, which I hope they would be interested in avoiding.
That is the purpose and intent of NDP-6, Mr. Chair.
May 29th, 2014 / 3:40 p.m.
Conservative
Gerald Keddy South Shore—St. Margaret’s, NS
Mr. Chairman, of course, what the honourable member’s really asking us to do is change how the Americans apply their own laws, which they have a right to do. We don’t have to agree with it, but they tax based on citizenship and that’s simply how it is. Worse yet, his amendment would really not just change the way the Canada and the United States enhanced tax information exchange agreement works, but it would actually override the terms of the intergovernmental agreement negotiated with the U.S. providing that the terms “U.S. Person” or “Specified U.S. Person” do not include a person ordinarily resident in Canada who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident. Of course, what they leave out of that is that person would also have to be a U.S. citizen or a dual citizen.
The amendment would mean that the financial accounts of U.S. citizens who have such connections to Canada would not be reported. It is clear, Mr. Chairman, that the scope of persons in respect of which the U.S. seeks information under the IGA consistent with the U.S. tax legislation includes all U.S. citizens, including those who are dual citizens or residents of another country. This is based on the requirements of the U.S. tax system, as I mentioned earlier, which places tax filing obligations on all U.S. citizens, even those who are also citizens of another country. At the end of the day, this would result in Canadian financial institutions and their clients being exposed to the U.S. FATCA withholding tax.
Finally, I want to say there’s really some misleading information being put out here. U.S. citizens have always been applicable to paying taxes in the U.S. if they were following the tax regime of the U.S. Most of us have some U.S. relatives or U.S. family members or U.S. connection, especially if you live in Atlantic Canada. The reality is the difference here is no different from U.S. tax law. The difference is they’re enforcing the rules that have always been in place. If you’re a U.S. citizen, you have to comply with U.S. tax rules and you have to file income tax. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to pay income tax, but you’ve always been responsible to file. That comes with the duty of citizenship. We can like it or not, but it’s not up to us to make that judgment.
I wonder when returning to Canada from the US, will the Canadian border guard ask what class of Canadian I am when asking my citizenship? I’m sure they all know there are now 2 classes thanks to our corrupt government.