Arthur Cockfield and Allison Christians in a new article out today at the Globe and Mail write:
For the first time in Canadian history, our federal government is preparing to provide a foreign government with sensitive personal financial information about hundreds of thousands of Canadians. It is doing so to stave off threatened economic sanctions, and is getting nothing in return.
Read the entire article here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/how-the-us-pulled-off-the-great-canadian-privacy-giveaway/article17916327/#dashboard/follows/
I need help with this Horatio Alger dude at G&M…he is giving me a headache and I need to go to bed.
This piece did not appear in the print edition of the Globe & Mail.
Can anyone tell us why?
Just sent my local MP a reminder to answer my letters. He sent me an email yesterday telling me he sent my letter to the “minister of finance” . Passed the buck. I sent him one today asking him what HIS stand was on Fatca and why. I told him I don’t want any games, I want HIS answers as he would be the one getting a vote. I am talking about Joe Preston, MP St Thomas Ont
As much as it disturbs me to comment to the likes of Ericka from America at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/how-the-us-pulled-off-the-great-canadian-privacy-giveaway/article17916327/comments/, she (or he?) may be somewhat correct:
@calgary411
Hysterical and inflammatory statements like those you quote are cheap and easy. While pretending to be radical, the authors tend to be do-nothings who use such statements as an excuse for staying out of the hard, dirty work of fighting for change. The internet, with its anonymity, is the favorite haunt of folks like that. Ignore them, I say.
A lot of stuff doesn’t appear in the print edition of any and all newspapers. it’s the nature of the business. They are going broke competing against webzines and blogs. Hardly any body reads the articles and comments that so many of us get excited about. It”s a waste of time reading and commenting on most of the articles mentioned on IBS. Better to focus elsewhere.
I know, NorthernShrike. I should follow my own advice. Although I did wait for quite awhile the need to answer overtook me; I’ll try better.
@NativeCanadian
Well done. Keep demanding answers from MPs.
MP’s minds can be changed. I now have anecdotal confirmation that Edmonton-St. Albert MP Brent Rathgeber (elected Conservative, now an Independent, but who initially supported the IGA) decided to vote “No” to C31 after he learned more about how bad the deal was for Canada.
http://openparliament.ca/votes/41-2/99/
@ Shovel
I’m sending off an e-mail to MP Rathgeber today. If only other Cons would follow his lead and rid themselves of the chains of caucus too. It must be very rewarding to vote with your conscience, on behalf of your constituents, rather than under the threat of Harper’s cudgel.
Speaking of privacy AND security. This is why it doesn’t help a bit that all that sensitive FATCA data will be sent to the CRA, let alone anywhere else.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/10765517/Heartbleed-bug-claims-its-first-victim.html
@Em
Privacy & Security– The local CBC afternoon show aired an interview with a IT guru today.
He believed the NSA especially (but probably the security agencies of most western countries) knew about Heartbleed for a long time. But they didn’t report it so they could continue to exploit it themselves to spy on anybody they felt like.
I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist, but this guy being interviewed was pretty convincing.
@ Shovel
I’ve been reading the same in the alternative sites — good to see it is main stream too. The guy who is supposed to be responsible for the “error” has said he really didn’t mean to do it. Yeah sure.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/11/heartbleed/
SECURITY OF PRIVATE FINANCIAL INFORMATION — as we are sitting ducks?
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/1.2610803 AND http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/news/story/1.2609371
Unfortunately most Canadians won’t care unless they are one of those 900 people. We’ve been told that we’ve had it good for so long that most wouldn’t know a threat unless it landed directly on top of our heads.
Foreign Affairs Committee on April 9th, 2014
Evidence of meeting #22 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
On the agenda
Main Estimates 2014-15: Votes 1, 5, 10, 15, L20 and L25 under FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT, Vote 1 under INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE and Vote 1 under INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION (CANADIAN SECTIONS)
Committee Business
MPs speaking
April 9th, 2014 / 4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Marc Garneau Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
I was hoping to obtain an answer because I did not get one from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Switching over to something that is international in scope, the Canada-United States enhanced tax information exchange agreement implementation act, which we tend to call FATCA, is in the budget implementation bill, Bill C-31, at this point.
I would like to ask a question. Of course, it deals with the fact that we are going to be helping the United States, specifically the Internal Revenue Service,with information so that they can collect taxes from close to one million dual nationals in this country, I believe, who happen to be Canadian and American. This will very clearly involve Canada spending quite a bit of money to accomplish this, whether it’s in the financial institutions themselves or through the CRA.
I would like to ask you, Minister Baird, why it is that Canada is accepting to do this at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. What is in it for Canada to help in this particular case—and possibly there may even be privacy issues—to help the United States Internal Revenue Service collect tax from Canadians with dual citizenship?
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
John Baird Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
I want to thank you for the question.
Our department is obviously here to discuss things that we’re responsible for, as a deputy and as a minister. This has been a lead of the Department of Finance. Obviously, it’s self-evident that this is something we’d rather not be doing, but the reality is that the United States, and the U.S. Congress, and the Obama administration have policies and practices that tax people whether they’re resident or non-resident. That’s obviously not something that Canada does.
As for the cost of the implementation, you’d have to talk to either Minister Oliver or Minister Finley, because they’re best able to know what goes on at CRA. Obviously, that’s not something under my purview.
I think it’s a fair issue.
@Calgary411
That’s something.
Baird: “Obviously, it’s self-evident that this is something we’d rather not be doing…”
Really? I thought our government was “thrilled” about it, at least according to my MP.
https://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/03/06/a-letter-from-john-weston-regarding-the-iga-we-need-to-educate-the-mps/
A slip of the Party tongue one way or another, bubblebustin.
Does this recent post on John “thrilled” Weston’s web site strike any of you as a little weird? If I was to take a guess, I’d think that maybe the hidden message here is that, “sure we threw you under the bus, but deep down we really care about you.” Well, my mom always told me that actions speak louder than words, Mr Weston.
http://www.johnweston.ca/?p=6213