Liberty and justice for all United States persons abroad

Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks Traitors to Canada on FATCA

I just came across this and my hands a shaking as I type this up. From the book Billionaires’ Ball: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality.

http://books.google.com/books?id=I4_HY0QmTp0C&pg=PT169&lpg=PT169&dq=Neil+Brooks+canada+fatca&source=bl&ots=K-vKrvVEiP&sig=soKZTxKwEwb5ctfk9_X_gDajIZo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ICJeUI6LH-3H0AHkz4CQBA&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Neil%20Brooks%20canada%20fatca&f=false

 

I can’t copy past the exact text but if you go to the link you will see what I am talking about McQuaig and Brooks both criticise Canadian Banks and the Harper government for speaking out against FATCA(without any acknowledgement of the NDP’s role too). Both indicate that Canada has an obligation under the “laws of nature” and “societal justice” to help the United States get financial information on its citizens due to the huge degree income inequality in the US.

Neil Brooks

http://www.osgoode.yorku.ca/faculty/full-time/neil-brooks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_McQuaig

Linda McQuaig is a famous Canadian writer and journalist who worked for the Toronto Star and famously broke the Patti Starr case(relating to an Ontario Liberal MPP engaged in illegal campaign fundraising)

To McQuaig and Brooks I will see to it that your public reputation in Canada will become dirt if the two of you don’t recant public statements in favor of FATCA. I also think the NDP has to make a decision to acknowledge whether these individuals are NDP members and if so whether they should be expelled from the NDP.

69 thoughts on “Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks Traitors to Canada on FATCA

  1. Thanks for letting us know, Joe Smith. That prompted me to send a very long email to Ms McQuaig on behalf of all of us here. I am asking her to reconsider her full support of FATCA (as it now is) and FBAR, taking into account the collateral damage to so many innocent, unknowing US Persons Abroad living, working, paying taxes, raising families — good citizens of the countries they chose to move to. Many of us are her fellow Canadians.

  2. @calgary411 and @joe smith

    Thank you. I suppose Ms McQuaig’s arguments may be able to turn some Canadians against us, but those of us with US citizenship have more influence where it counts than any wannabe American would ever have.

  3. *@Calgary411, Joe, Bubblebustin and Tim,

    I want to thank you for all you do, it is so appreciated. Besides myself I know there are so many others that appreciate you!! You have worked so hard for all of us..

    Thank you!! Thank you!!

  4. Thank you, saddened. We’re all in this together and we are stronger when we can help one another. The work so many do here, you included, is healthy for us, our sanity and self-worth — and, hopefully, making our story understood by others. The sum of all the contributions here is a wonderful resource for newcomers. We were all there once. Who would have thought I’d continue communicating on a blog with what I consider some of my best friends through what we share. May we all get through this to live more normal lives once again.

  5. I forwarded, with a further note, the email that I had sent to Linda McQuaig. I was pleased to almost immediately get this response:

    From: Neil Brooks/osgoode mailto:NBrooks@osgoode.yorku.ca

    Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2012 7:00 PM

    To: calgary 411

    Cc: lmcquaig@sympatico.ca mailto:lmcquaig@sympatico.ca

    Subject: Re: Fw: FATCA, FBAR, US Citzenship-based Taxation and how it affects US Persons in Canada and around the world…

    Hi calgary411,
    Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed note about the problems caused by FATCA. Linda and I have written that FATCA is a good model for attempting to tax the more than $21 trillion of assets being held in tax havens and secrecy jurisdictions around the world.

    I am afraid that over the next two weeks I am going to be completely consumed by prior engagements but after that I would be pleased to look over the materials you sent along and reconsider our position.

    You undoubtedly know that only this month the US has entered into its first FATCA intergovernmental agreement, with the UK. It does appear that most European countries are anxious to enter into such reciprocal agreements with the US and FATCA will be serving as a model for many countries. It seems inevitable. However, I have not heard anything about the Canadian government’s intentions.
    Neil

    Neil Brooks
    Osgoode Hall Law School
    4700 Keele Street
    Toronto, Ontario
    Canada M3J 1P3

    Fax (416) 736 5736
    Office (416) 736 5047

    I responded:
    Thank you very much. I can’t tell you how very much I and many others will appreciate you and, hopefully, Linda McQuaig taking a second look at FATCA. It is heartening to me that you will take the time to do so. I worry about so many who do not have a voice. This is a life-changer for many very ordinary people, living very ordinary lives.
    Sincerely,

  6. @saddened123

    Thank you. I feel that I receive much more here than I could ever give. 

    @calgary411

    Your style of communication serves us all well. I’m afraid I’d only offer snide remarks at this point. Mr Brooks may have inadvertently nailed the true feelings of what European countries are feeling about FATCA with a common grammatical error:

    ‘It does appear that most European countries are anxious to enter into such reciprocal agreements with the US and FATCA will be serving as a model for many countries’.

    Anxious” emphasizes fear or frustration or failure or disappointment.

    Eager” means marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest.

  7. *Thank you Calgary411. You style of communication is better than mine too. I keeping on thinking if I talk like Peter Van Loan I will get the Conservatives more interested in doing something on this issue.

    Talking Like Van Loan



  8. Hi, Tim.

    Your communication here and the things you present are very valued by us all!

    Darn, maybe I will be able to view YouTube Van Loan tomorrow. Sloooowww computer tonight.

    If anything like this, I’ll like his style…

    Mr. Speaker, first, let me formally welcome back all hon. members to the House of Commons from their productive summers in their ridings, which I trust they had, working with and listening to constituents.

    On the government side of the House, we heard loud and clear that the priority of Canadians remains the economy. It is our priority too. Not one person raised with me a desire to see a $21 billion carbon tax implemented to raise the price of gas, groceries and winter heat. I do not expect the member will see that in our agenda.

    I also want to extend a warm welcome, on behalf of Conservatives, to this year’s class of pages. I am certain that their time with us, here in our hard-working, productive and, I hope, orderly House of Commons, will lead to lifelong memories.

    Yesterday, we were able to pass Bill C-42, Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act, at second reading. I want to thank hon. members for their co-operation on that.

    I am optimistic that we will see similar co-operation to allow us to finish second reading debate tomorrow on Bill C-37, Increasing Offenders’ Accountability for Victims Act, which the hon. Leader of the Opposition talked about.

    This afternoon, of course, is the conclusion of the New Democrats’ opposition day. As announced earlier this week, Tuesday will be a Liberal opposition day.

    On Monday, the House will start debate on Bill C-43, the faster removal of foreign criminals act. This legislation would put a stop to foreign criminals relying on endless appeals in order to delay their removal from Canada and it sends a strong signal to foreign criminals that Canada is not a safe haven. I hope we will have support from the opposition parties for rapid passage of the bill designed to make our communities safer.

    Starting on Wednesday, the House will debate Bill C-44, the helping families in need act. Once the opposition caucuses have met to discuss this important bill, I am confident they would want to support the early passage of this legislation as well. It would enhance the income support provided to families whose children have been victims of crime or are critically ill.

    … etc.

  9. *I got no response from Neil Brooks so I sent the same to Linda McQuaig.  Of course, both would rather honor and defend crime than to respond to a little nobody like me.

  10. “Linda and I have written that FATCA is a good model for attempting to
    tax the more than $21 trillion of assets being held in tax havens and
    secrecy jurisdictions around the world.

    It starts.  These stupid socialist Canuckleheads think “financial privacy”=”secrecy jurisdiction”.  There is no such thing as private property anymore, only a temporary possession of national wealth that your government has “enabled”.

    That property belongs to the state, Canadian slave.

  11. *ConfederateH

    Except the likes of Linda McQuaig aren’t in charge in Canada anymore if ever. These are the people in charge now:





     

  12. @Tim:  It looks like a stupid Canuckehead reality show, call it Toronto-shores.  I do like the Quicksilver Messenger Service score of “who do you love” from Happy Trails.  Cippolina was wild with his guitar playing through his Wurtlizers I saw him play at a Dead concert in Winterland and he had his twirling Wurlitzers screaming..

    To create his distinctive guitar sound, Cipollina developed a one-of-a-kind amplifier stack. His Gibson SG guitars had two pickups, one for bass and one for treble. The bass pickup fed into two Standel bass amps on the bottom of the stack, each equipped with two 15-inch speakers. The treble pickups fed two Fender amps: a Fender Twin Reverb and a Fender Dual Showman that drove six Wurlitzer horns.[3]

    Cipollina used a custom foot switch setup to select reverb, tremolo, Astro Echoplex (the unit mounted on the right of the Twin Reverb), and Standel Modulux (on the left of the twin reverb). 12 volt automotive running lights indicated which effect was being used.

    Cipollina also employed a Gibson Maestro Fuzz and Vox wah-wah/volume pedals.

  13. I have to clarify, that reference “Kool-aid” is in the LSD not Jim Jones sense, something that many a rock n roll concert goer may know a lot about.

  14. I have sent her the odd email ,but not in a position to raise this issue any better than any of you.

    Neil Brooks is a really good guy.  I think he may come around.

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