March 8, 2016 UPDATE: Legal fees paid — on to Federal Court for Charter trial contesting Canadian FATCA IGA legislation.
Canadians and International Supporters:
You came through once again: $594,970 for legal costs have now been donated and our outstanding legal bill is finally paid off.
Thanks especially to those who donated even though they never had any “spare” money to give, and despite this gave over and over and over again.
This last round of fundraising also shows that our Canadian lawsuit remains dependent on the kindness of our International Friends: There would be no lawsuit without their financial help.
Know that a very generous donation (today) from a supporter in the United States made it possible to pay off the remaining legal debt. Also please appreciate that there would be no lawsuit without the help of the Isaac Brock Society which has kindly let us use its website to solicit funds.
Our next step is the Constitutional-Charter trial in Federal Court.
For this we need more Canadian Witnesses, and my next post will be devoted only to a request for Witnesses willing to go public, like our Plaintiffs Ginny and Gwen.
For the future: I want a win in Federal Court — and I want the new Liberal Government not to appeal that win.
Thank you all for your support,
Stephen Kish,
for the Directors,
Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty
I disagree with the that it shouldn’t be hard to find witnesses. I am aware of someone in my community, a couple who have been harmed. They had to hire a lawyer who reached a settlement with the IRS on their behalf. They are afraid to come forwarded. They have been paying for the last three years and have one more year to pay. They are thinking of renouncing after they are done paying. Plus, their grown children are born in Canada so the US doesn’t know about them as their births were never registered in the 1960’s.They aren’t complying.
@Ann
The couple in your community are cowards if they don’t come forward. I have myself put myself forward in an another unrelated lawsuit with an affidavit as a potential witness. But when it comes to ADSC-ADCS I have not donated with the intention of supporting cowards.
But if you do indeed feel that finding witnesses will be difficult I would ask the ADSC-ADCS directors to put fundraising on hold until the requisite witnesses are found.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35508451
Why doesn’t someone get a GoPro camera and do the same around Canada. Ask ordinary Canadians about the US attempt to tax resident Canadian citizens and what that means.
@Ann
But I would also add that there are ways of showing real harm without necessarily having one’s whole life destroyed. I would encourage the couple you know to do so and not just give up in a cowardly way.
Dash It’s a it much for you to call someone a coward when you know little or nothing of their situation.
@Dash1729, how is calling people you don’t even know ‘cowards’ and ‘cowardly’ and insulting them is constructive way to recruit potential witnesses? I understand your zeal to get this lawsuit moving, but I fail to see how your tactics will do that.
@badger @DukeOfDevon
No I’m not out of line here. The ADSC-ADCS directors have been enabling cowardly behavior (put your cash in a well concealed anonymous envelope) for some time now. I myself always donate under my real name. The anonymous approach may have worked when money was the primary issue. But soon we are going to need witnesses willing to put their names forward in a public fashion. The anonymous approach will not work in this new phase. I myself have put myself forward as a witness multiple times. If not me then who? Don’t trash me until you have an alternative.
@Dash, re; “Don’t trash me until you have an alternative.”
I don’t see that your tactics are working. Do you find it motivates people to cooperate and contribute or work towards achieving a goal when you insult them?
There is also no logic in discouraging/disparaging anonymous financial support.
@badger
I asked you if you have an alternative. If not why not?
We are 96% done on funding. Are we 96% done on witnesses? If not why not?
No I’m not being polite here. I’ve been donating since June 2014. The search for witnesses should have progressed far more than it has.
@badger
I would also add that the head post in this thread a day or two ago contained a message advocating support of America’s enemies in the next war. I highly doubt that such a message will motivate people to support ADCS-ADSC either as donors or witnesses. Such views I’m sure go too far–way too far–for the vast majority of North Americans.
The thing is that if Canadians will not come forward and testify the lawsuit will not succeed. Nor IMHO will it deserve to succeed in the absence of witnesses willing to testify. I’m just the messenger here. If everyone believes in the lawsuit in principle but in practice expects someone else’s family to take the risk the lawsuit will not succeed and does not deserve to succeed. Come on folks. Put up or shut up.
Some people who aren’t cowards post under our real names, besides making donations (meagre as they are) in our real names. Anyway…
The US has witness protection programs for witnesses who have to be cowards. My feeling is that if the US had a sixth amendment then defendants would have a right to know the real names of witnesses testifying against them, in order to confront witnesses, but I don’t know if they actually have it. The witnesses get to live in hiding under other than their real names.
Now, should Canadian courts provide US-style witness protection programs? Yes, because Congress has spoken.
Witness protection programs are for testifying against gangsters.
There are no gangsters here–just a freshman prime minister who needs a little remedial history lesson from a Canadian justice regarding his father’s work with the Charter. Move along folks–nothing to see here.
In my humble opinion, the harm is the disclosure to a foreign government of banking data of some Canadians and not others … having to sit in another section of the bus but arriving at the destination just the same … and the loss of privacy involved in that. Everything else, the quarrel is with the United States of America’s government. However, Joseph Arvay knows his stuff better than I do.
If it was a lawsuit for monetary damages, then more issues might bring more money damages, but it is a lawsuit over Charter rights to not face discrimination.
but post-election not a single member of the ruling Liberal Party will agree to a CBC interview about our FATCA lawsuit. Not one.
Neither did Ted Cruz agree to an interview with me, but I got one anyway. Hint, hint.
Dash,
I will not stand by and allow anyone on this blog or associated with it in any way to be called a coward. By dissing Ann#1’s acquaintances you have dissed me! I would be Stephen’s perfect witness but I cannot put my name forward because I am protecting other family members. One of them doesn’t want to have to go back to work at the age of 66 to make up for the money that will be stolen from us if we were to come forward and expose ourselves to being found by the IRS! I’m sorry but I haven’t the heart to do that to that person!
I am indeed sorry that you have had the experience of losing your life’s savings in another legal matter. But you are relatively young and, obviously, very resilient. I know because I met you at the court case in Vancouver last summer and I enjoyed our conversation. Elderly people don’t have the luxury of time to rebuild what they are in danger of losing. We are all in this together and each of us is doing what he/she can to fight this injustice which is now of such magnitude that it has taken a life! Please read Tricia’s thread below if you haven’t heard the news.
We are not all in the, I would say, “enviable” position of putting ourselves forward as witnesses. I am relegated to sitting here “Muzzled” still in many ways. But don’t you dare call me, or anyone like me, a coward!
Thank you Tom. I think that’s exactly right. This isn’t only about money, although that’s all that seems important in our world right now. This is about our charter rights and citizenship. If this case was before the U.S. Courts we would be doomed as U.S.”justice” is bought and sold but in Canada I believe the courts are still independent and we have hope. Perhaps that’s my naive self shining through.
I agreed to be a witness a while ago because I could not just sit by and wait for the Government of Canada to get away with this. Sometimes being out in the open is safer than being in the shadows. That’s probably my naive self shining through as well.
@Dash You say “Witness protection programs are for testifying against gangsters.”
Do explain in what way the Government of the US is NOT behaving as gangsters in threatening to deduct 30% of funds flowing through New York’s clearing system to all banks outside the US IF those (foreign) banks or their (IGA) countries do not do as the US demands ?
@Tom Alciere
Congratulations on posing your FATCA question to Ted Cruz and getting a hopeful response. And the video, even better.
“Ted Cruz: Well, look, I don’t think that makes sense. I think we need to focus on the United States of America.”
As Muzzled pointed out, one shouldn’t have to kill themselves in order to avoid being murdered.
Bubblebustin says:
“As Muzzled pointed out, one shouldn’t have to kill themselves in order to avoid being murdered.”
The best quote of the day on this controversy!
I am astounded by Dash’s tone and leveling such accusations against folks he cannot in any way know, or know their circumstances.
Many people are still unaware ,for various reasons, the most egregious reason being media blackout. As has been amply illustrated.
And even when they do learn of it they are so shocked by it all they are unbelieving. Unless one is pointedly targeted they would prefer to let the the matter slide as many are both ignorant of tax issues and fearful of the power of the IRS. With good reason.
This is not cowardly, this is prudence and in many cases prudence is mandatory for survival.
Dash might as well be asking individual Jews of 1930’s Germany to stand out of the crowd and point an accusing finger at an SS officer with a gun pointed at his head. It is that serious and it is that impossible to ask of some whose positions are impossible to deal with.
FATCA and Canadian IGA targets ARE the victims.
FATCA is the criminal and the Canadian IGA is the enabler of the crime.
The IGA has made it possible for the gangsters to rob and pillage by opening the door and inviting them in and even going so far as to POINT them out!
Dash wants it all to go one further: Don’t bother opening the door for the gangsters, all the victims come on out on to the street so we can see who you are. The better to rob you. According to Dash, you are a coward if you DON’T !
People who post here HURT! Emotionally, Financially, Socially. For themselves or for their loved ones.
The lady in tears could never be asked to do as Dash expects. She is clearly not capable emotionally to go through such an ordeal. And others, who would actually come forward can no longer do so because they are DEAD! ( there are many instances of this, not just the tragic story of the gentleman who committed suicide. )
For many older individuals this threat is life changing and the emotional strain has proven fatal , with failing health and subsequent early death the result.
We need to stop blaming the victims for perceived lack of fortitude or in some way lacking in ability to fight this horrid nightmare in ways Dash expects. Everybody has to do what they can in ways they can accomplish. The last thing any of us need is admonishment for not committing suicide before, as Bubblebustin says, being murdered.
Freedom has never been nor will it ever be free. Dash made a very good point regardless whether or not it bothered the sensibilities of some here. This is war people. If it irritates you that someone else on ‘your side’ is calling you a ‘coward’ then maybe the shoe fits.
Re;
“..This is war people. If it irritates you that someone else on ‘your side’ is calling you a ‘coward’ then maybe the shoe fits….”
The army that turns on itself doesn’t live to put up any resistance. The other side just laughs as the opposition destroys itself from within.
How can it be logical to claim that calling people you don’t even know cowards can possibly be constructive, motivational or supportive of the lawsuit?
Is that supposed to result in masses of individuals suddenly rushing forward to prove to some stranger’s satisfaction that it isn’t true?
Good luck with that tactic.
If anyone is interested, Record Number of Renunciations for 2015 is trending on Facebook.
Looks like Mexico has a big problem with their Fatca IGA here http://tax-expatriation.com/2015/12/14/foreign-government-criticizes-u-s-government-for-not-providing-fatca-iga-information-on-their-taxpayers-with-u-s-accounts/