The Windsor Star objects to the Harper government’s FATCA agreement with the United States. Here is the money quote showing how the Tory government actually admits to capitulation:
In fact, when the Tax Compliance Act first surfaced just over two years ago, federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was one of the strongest critics, pointing out that the proposal “has far-reaching extraterritorial implications. It would turn Canadian banks into extensions of the IRS and would raise significant privacy concerns for Canadians.”
What happened to “never surrender”?
The Star’s view: Ottawa shouldn’t be in bed with the IRS
Facebook comments are welcome at the Windsor Star.
@mjh: As another person with MS, I hope you won’t consider moving your wife to the U.S. Health care would be a nightmare for her. Plus, a major move like that could cause exacerbation or further deterioration or her M.S.
We all seem trapped in this nightmare in so many different ways.
@mjh49783
I understand your pain & anger. U are stuck in a hard position of what to do. Before this crap… I would have told u… Canada was a wonderful country filled with wonderful people. It still filled with wonderful people but I too am very pissed with Canada’s gov’t for this crap this created. I never thought in my life time that Canada would do such a dirty deed to their people… citizens…pr or whatever. They promote for others to come & land then toss u over to the US gov’t to fend for yourselves. I never thought I would be labelled a criminal for living my life. That is what this deed has done… Canada has allowed all of us with the US taint to be labelled criminals then act is not such a big deal. Sure… when all my info is floating around… for all to see… who will protect us.. Not one frigging person. So I understand your pain & anger… Both gov’t can kiss my a**
@Blaze
If the Conservatives win another majority government in 2015, how will I know that they won’t work to wreck the health care system here next? I also have that to consider.
@US_Person_Foreigner
I expect no one to protect me. I learned about the odious aspects of citizenship based taxation, and though I don’t like it, it is a matter that I need to deal with. If the US at least made this information public, then I have no doubt that people would be much better prepared to either choose to comply, or to renounce, as they see fit in their hearts. I had to hunt for that kind of information myself before my wife and I even started the immigration process for me to come to Canada.
If I knew without a doubt that, when an IGA was being negotiated regarding the US and Canada, that, (borrowing from the Godfather here) if the US told Canada that either its brains or its signature would be on that contract, and that Canada really couldn’t refuse it under threat of say, a military invasion or something, I could see a weaker country doing that in an effort at self preservation, and I can’t fault them for that. Instead, the banks were threatened with 30% withholding on all of their US based assets, and the Harper government threw its citizens under the bus to protect the banks.
So my effort at separating all of our accounts ended up having the effect of protecting her from both governments, due to US demands on me, and Canada’s capitulation.
If only I had an option of giving another family member of her’s power of attorney when that moment comes, someone we both can trust, then she will end up being saved both now, and in the future, from of my US taint. Maybe another government with a spine and a set of ethics will be in power by then, and I can then go ahead with the task of seeking Canadian citizenship without feeling it as a violation of my personal ethics.
mjh49783 – The US doesn’t need to say a damned thing with regards to it’s threats. It can just be tacit. Everyone knows the United States has nuclear weapons. Everyone knows that the United States was the first to use them in anger.
They don’t have to say a single word to state: Either sign the agreement or kiss your borders good bye, because we’ll drop a few of these on your major cities and you’ll capitulate.
@The_Animal
Right, so the US pretty much owns the world, and our last, best hope is to be liberated by the Chinese?
Seems that us humans are really no different than the other animals of this world, and we’re certainly not what God intended, if He even exists.
@Blaze
I wish I could say that my wife is happy with the health care here, but she’s not. Nevertheless, a major move like that would cause more harm than good, and that’s without even factoring in the health care system there. (which even I know is a cruel joke) But what we can do is talk about new places and new challenges, for if for nothing else, to at least give us a reason to hope.
Beyond that, she doesn’t want to rock the boat, and that is fine as well. It’s not like I can save her from her disease, anyway. All I can do is help her with her quality of life as best as I can.
Hang in there @US_Person_Foreigner. You aren’t alone, and it may be that your specific facts and circumstances are in categories relatively less fraught with peril. I am not a US tax expert, so can’t usefully say, but if I had understood all this from the beginning, and had a resource like IBS, I would have been in a better position sooner, less expensively, and with fewer errors.
@MJH Your wife is lucky to have you. I hope she is able to somehow insulate herself from the stress this is causing you because stress and sleepless nights are only an enemy of MS (I should listen to my own advice!)
Canada’s health care is not ideal. However, as you say, health care in US is cruel. I can think of other words to use, but I will just use yours.
I think we all need to somehow find a way of refocusing on our quality of life, but that’s a challenge right now.
@badger
Thank u for your kind words. I am in the same boat as many others who could have everything they worked hard & saved for… gone or stolen (yes stolen… I said it) by a country with the taint of US person. I am trying to figure it all out & this web site has helped me greatly. I am not a business person who understands every little thing to be done & this web site has given me a great deal of info & insight so I would like to thank u all. This is also a great site because u all get it. When I try to talk to others… who will be in the same boat… they all think tax evaders are totally loaded. I was stupid & naive about alot of things… I admit it but if I knew about the stupid rules then.. I would have done things different… All we can do now is.. try to get rid of all these traitors in our own country we called gov’t who was suppose to protect us… not toss us all over the frigging place.. Hey… I think I smell US taint on the PM… is there a hotline I can call to drop a dime on him?? I don’t need a reward… a thank u card would be fine… traitor
Sacha Baron Cohen as the fictional Wadiyan Dictator praises Stephen Harper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yGd0ynuAUME
Thought we all might enjoy this after a week that really…really sucked.
“I commend your leaders on silencing your media. For the last 10 years, I have not even heard a single noteworthy event happening in Canada. The people in Wadiya, they are very similar to you Canadians. Their greatest strength is sitting quietly, politely obeying without question.”
@Blaze
Honestly, I’m not so sure she really is, because there is another problem that I can tell you. My wife lost her ODSP once I landed, and from a financial standpoint, I can’t make up the difference. Not even close. It’s not as though they paid much for her, but it’s the vision, dental, and prescription drug coverage that she lost. We could try getting some supplemental coverage from the private market, but we need food, too.
None of this would be of any concern if we actually had money, but we’re just scraping by ourselves. But the final indignation that she was subjected to was when her caseworker told her that she thought I was here for the benefits, just before she cut her off. Christ! She even gave me an application and told me to fill it out! What a fucking insult! I threw it in the trash before we left the office! My back may be a bit messed up, but I’m not going to play the game of getting an Ontario doctor and work to satisfy the bureaucracy, just to apply for benefits that I don’t even want. Call it foolish pride and all, but c’mon! I don’t want to be shackled with a layer of governmental dependency! Not when I could just cope with the pain by buying Motrin over the counter! Is that really SO bad! Well, apparently it is to the province of Ontario because, since I chose NOT to apply, they told my wife that we make too much money, and she no longer qualifies. Nice, huh? They even made sure to blame me for the reason she no longer qualifies and why that is so, since I chose not to apply.
To be completely honest, I would be happy to leave this province at the first opportunity I get, but she wants to stay where she’s comfortable, and where she has friends. That is, is spite of most of her ‘friends’ that don’t even bother to show up anymore because they can’t deal with her disability. One more bone of contention is that if we was in a better financial state, I would rather get us the supplemental coverage myself, but even so, I just don’t know with her preexisting condition and all. However, she wants her ODSP back, and I’ve told her that I want no involvement in that whatsoever. Not if they’re going to just cut her off and blame me for it for simply existing, and being her husband. She’s even filed an appeal, just to be denied, because they claim she never filled out the application for the extended health benefits package, even though they never even fucking sent it in the first place! She’s also been told by a social worker that, this is not the first time the province has pulled this on someone, either.
All she wants is to be treated with some dignity, but I can clearly see that the system is broken in regards to her, and that everything ends up being an winnable fight, which adds stress to her, and robs her of another piece of her mobility, and even her very life. It’s really no wonder how she can see the grass as ‘greener’ on the other side, even though it’s really just dead grass painted over with that fake green looking shit that doesn’t really fool anyone. I can only conclude that she might be in better health had we never even met, but even I ultimately doubt that, because it won’t change the assholiness of Ontario. It would only spare me the agony of knowing what I now know. Hell, even her own father told me at one point that the system in Ontario only exists to make itself look good, and that it’s really just broken. I believe it. I know the Liberals once cancelled two gas plants for five Liberal seats at a cost of $1.1 billion dollars or so to the taxpayer, yet people will just howl when you mention either the names Bob Rae, or Mike Harris. I even remember that one MPP for the PCs saying that those in Windsor that need work should just go to Detroit! Yeah! Detroit! Plenty of work there….NOT! I would know because I originally hail from there! Have any of these idiots even SEEN Detroit?!?
Stunning incompetence!
Yeah, we might win or lose by leaving Ontario, but we’re definitely losing by staying. I can’t fault her for wanting to stay to preserve her health, but I don’t see how this is working either, and especially when she’s all stressed out no matter what, anyway.