With the concerns of constituents filling up their inboxes and voicemail, on Monday the NDP repeated their demand that the Conservatives remove a recently-signed tax agreement with the United States from the omnibus budget bill.
Read more: http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/05/05/get-fatca-out-of-the-budget-bill-ndp-urges/
With the so called grace period from Treasury, how can they not remove it from the budget bill to ensure a proper debate.
I guess all those emails many of us sent over the past few days, were worth it, eh?
The money quote “What’s more, Rankin followed, the Americans have pushed back their FATCA deadline for other countries that aren’t going to be able to comply on time. ”
There is no reason not to have a proper and open debate.
As George says ‘there’s no reason.’. If the Americans are giving everyone else ‘breathing space,’ why can’t Harper just tell his new HQ (Washington) that his Parliament is questioning this deal and we need to debate it first since the 1st July deadline really doesn’t matter anymore.
I just left Mr. Rankin a huge thank you message at his office. This man is going to be our next prime minister once Canadians see what he stands for….
Murray Rankin just tweeted this youtube link of his question in parliament today. The Con response — same talking points — over and over again.
20% With holding tax??? it’s 30% BOZO and it is a SANCTION!! from a hostile foreign government. Do we ALL need to go to Ottawa and protest to teach these idiots? Really???
Further to those Con talking points. The banks would have this … The banks would have that … yada-yada-yada. Whose banks are these anyway? Which country licenses their very right to exist? Which nation’s laws must the banks obey? NOT the USA that’s for darn sure. And if the USA had ever unilaterally begun to carry out that 30% sanction threat I do believe that in a world court this would be ruled as theft of funds legally due to those banks beyond the USA’s borders. Canada could have said NO and the same goes for all the other IGA suck up countries. IMHO.
They don’t even know how much the sanction was and yet here they are touting what a great deal they got for everyone! They won’t call it a sanction either which it most certainly is. Why don’t they just get honest. They will violate the Charter to please the U.S.A. That’s the bottom line. And frankly, I think if Canada had called the U.S. bluff on this there is no way on earth those sanctions against Canada would have gone ahead. This would have given other nations the push back they needed to say “No” too. FATCA violates laws all over the world and now Canada has allowed the U.S. to crack open the door for even more of the same. The same type of threats will be used in the future to get other things they want. Harper is a bozo!
@EM and @Native Canadian:
Isn’t it just an eye opener to see just how ignorant the conservatives are on this issue. They speak of the banks this and the banks that.
But not one word about the privacy and protection of Canadians.
NOT to mention the constitutionality of it all.
And Mr. Oliver should find out what the issues are instead of reading his talking points from his prepared paper.
How insulting and infuriating. Mr. Oliver needs a talking to and not by the PM.
Mr. Oliver just got an email from me. Flaherty died because of this. He should give this some god dam respect!
I really would like to see John Richardson and Stephen Kish present their submission to the US Senate Committee to the Canada Finance Committee and be given time to go through all the points within that submission. I think it would be an eye opener for all of those bozos who seem to think this is no big deal and aren’t they great for negotiating a great deal for the banks.
And have it televised so everyone can see what is really at stake for Canadians and Residents and how the banks get their concerns met but not those of us who provide their income by banking with their institutions. And the point should be front and center that Canada negotiated with a rogue agency , the IRS, whose crimes pile up daily to the anger and frustration of lawmakers and citizens in the US. An illegal negotiation with a rogue, criminal and out of control agency in the US and then hiding it in the budget bill.
Not a damn thing to be proud of in all of those ‘negotiations’. And now they lie and preen while the lives of millions of Canadians and businesses hang in the balance along with the entire Canadian economy. Just who are these morons working for anyway? City of London? EU? OECD? UN…Certainly not for Canada!
Mr. Oliver looked like a third grader nervously giving a speech off his cue cards on a subject he was completely uncomfortable with. Is it too much to ask for a guy in his position to at least pretend to look like an adult?
My MP Charlie Angus this today. I was out all day so am just sending this now. He wrote:
“Hello Darlene,
Here is a link to the NDP press conference on FATCA this morning with the first press story that just came out on it. The press conference was held by our finance critic- Nathan Cullen- and our Revenue Critic- Murray Rankin- who are both taking the lead on this issue. However, I can tell you that Charlie is working with them on fighting FATCA.”
and send a longer version of the NDP calling out the government today.
What a difference! The NDP politicians speak intelligently and confidently about the problems with FATCA. The Conservatives speak nervously and off of cue cards with extremely limited talking points.
If this is how it’s going to be during the Canadian charter court challenge the Conservative party is in big trouble. They better have a lawyer who’s better at arguing their case than they are because they suck.
Good stuff. My fears of the opposition back pedalling have subsided a bit 🙂
@OMG…haha…for sure!!!
Thank you Murray!… Maybe it’s the meds finally kicking in.. But I’m feeling better every day about FATCA.. I see a big derailment in the future!
@NorthernStar, thanks for this.
@All, notice all the nodding Conservative heads? They definitely look like the marionettes that Angus referred to in parliament recently. It is so disgusting to watch them nod in agreement, when it is obvious they haven’t got a clue. For shame.
Here is part of an email I sent to Murray Rankin early Saturday morning:
“I listened to the Finance Committee hearing May 1 and the defence of the IGA as necessary to avoid the 30% FATCA withholding.
Finance has known for a long time,as have Canadian financial institutions, that June 30th was not an absolute deadline to reach an agreement or else. It was known that countries would be white listed if they had at least entered into serious negotiations with the U.S.on FATCA.
My source for this information was a webinar put on by the Investment Industry Association of Canada last September and email communication with a Washington D.C. lawyer acting on behalf of several non English speaking countries.”
I’m glad Mr. Rankin referred to the fact that other countries that have been given more time.
From Oliver’s performance today, I’n not convinced he knows much about FATCA. What he does know, is that the banks want an IGA, so he wants it also.
Regarding the Conservative marionettes all nodding on cue together, I was referring to the youtube link Em posted, not the press release that NorthernStar posted.
@Hazy, Thanks for sending that email to Rankin. Obviously he listened. High Five!
Murray Rankin just became my favorite person in the whole world! That means alot coming from a life long Conservative.
@OMG: I’m waiting for Stephen Kish to admit that Murray Rankin is now his favourite person in the whole world. Stephen has been gloating that Lynne Swanson’s (aka Blaze’s) name was on a Republican website. I’ve been gloating his name is on a Green Party website.
If Stephen would just admit that Rankin and Cullen are among his favourite people in the world, I would rejoice. I would even buy him Swiss Chalet chicken the next time he’s in London (he hates Swiss Chalet!).
@Blaze
Didn’t know about Stephen hating Swiss Chalet chicken. He was trying to force me to eat it at his house instead of getting pizza on Friday night.