Today, Lynne Swanson (Blaze) participated as part of a panel on the Finance Committee’s study of Part 5 of Bill C-31 – the Canada-United States Enhanced Tax Information Exchange Agreement Implementation Act (or, as I call it, the Canada-United States Abrogation of Canadian Rights Agreement’.
Essentially, Lynne was invited to speak about FATCA and the IGA. I, for one, admire her bravery and commitment to our shared cause and her willingness to appear before the committee and not only speak, but answer questions from the committee members.
She only had 5 minutes for her opening statement, and then was expected to answer questions from the members of the committee. At the time of this posting, I don’t have a full report on exactly what was said and asked. We will provide that as soon as we can.
What I do have is the speech Lynne prepared in advance. I most sincerely hope that her very eloquent statement fell on receptive ears.
UPDATED LINKS TO THE VIDEO:
ParlVU site: The original ParlVU video
Isaac Brock Society YouTube channel: The entire meeting with links to Lynne, Allison Christians and Arthur Cockfield
Isaac Brock Society YouTube channel: An edited compilation of Lynne’s presentation and her interaction with the committee
Transcript of Lynne’s presentation:
I come before you as the voice of one million Canadians.
We are Canadians. Many have been Canadian citizens for life or for decades. We chose Canada. We expect Canada to choose us and our rights over foreign bully demands.
“Why do our most heinous criminals have more Charter rights than I do,” asks a Nova Scotia police officer of 33 years. He was born in Maine almost six decades ago because his New Brunswick mother was sent there to give birth.
A Quebec woman who has been a Canadian citizen since birth says her ancestor who came to Canada in 1682 must be turning over in his grave at FATCA.
A widowed Grandma in Vancouver was told by US Consulate when she became a Canadian citizen in 1972 she was permanently and irrevocably relinquishing American citizenship. She insists, “My financial records are definitely none of the business of the IRS.”
An Ontario First Nations husband and father is horrified his Canadian government will help United States seize his family’s financial records because his Native Canadian wife was born there.
An Alberta woman reports her mother who upheld Canadian laws for many years as Justice of the Peace is now medically and physically too frail to deal with FATCA stresses.
They and one million other Canadians were betrayed by FATCA Intergovernmental Agreement. We were offended and insulted to hear Minister of State for Finance call us “American citizens abiding here in Canada” in the House of Commons.
If Canada mandated financial institutions to seek Canadians born in China, India, Iran or Eritrea for CRA to transmit private financial information to those nations, there would be outrage.
Canadians born in United States should have the same rights as all other Canadians. Canada should strongly defend those rights and not sacrifice them to a foreign country.
Two prominent Canadians described FATCA well. In 2011 and many times after that, Finance Minister the late Jim Flaherty said “FATCA has far-reaching extraterritorial implications. It would turn Canadian banks into extensions of the IRS and would raise significant privacy concerns for Canadians.”
Terry Campbell, President of Canadian Bankers Association in 2012 called FATCA “the poster child for the problem of extra-territoriality…It threatens to erode Canadian sovereignty.”
Those statements hold true now. Under threat of economic sanctions and penalties, Canada surrendered its sovereignty to a foreign power with the IGA.
Canadians affected by FATCA were stunned last week when a member of this Committee said “Congress has spoken.”
Canadians expect Parliament to speak for Canada. Canadians expect Parliament to uphold Canada’s laws, rights and constitution. Anything less is an affront and betrayal to Canada and to Canadians.
FATCA is complex. I give you a simple solution. I urge you to adopt an amendment to the Implementation Act:
“Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or the Agreement, for all purposes related to the implementation of this Act and the Agreement, “US Person” and “Specified US Person” shall not include any person who is a Canadian citizen or legal permanent resident who is ordinarily resident in Canada.”
I implore you. Do the right thing. Stand up for Canada and for all Canadians.
Here is the full-day session:
A massive thank you, Blaze! You make us proud!
Lynne, that was such a moving statement. I literally had tears listening to you speak!
Thank you, Lynne. You are amazing – a great spokesperson for all of us.
@ Canadian Cop
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/05/13/dont-delay-law-for-sharing-tax-information-with-u-s-canadas-investment-industry-urges/
I know you are probably just getting off shift and tired but when you get a chance would you do one of your nail-on-the-head comments at this Financial Post article? Apparently their “reporter” heard only the voices of the financial industrial complex when she listened to the testimonies today. Thanks.
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT! Lynne, you brightened my evening! Roy Berg sure showed his colors, and what a cheap shot!
@Calgary…
The video is over 2 hours. Do you have the start times for Lynnes speech, Allison Christians and Cockfields? That would make it easier for those that want to skip over that idiotic preemptive statement characterizing others speeches he has NOT yet heard. What a cheap and un-classy thing to do.
What I was EXTREMELY offended by, was the statement by the IFIC rep who said that the Canadian government shouldn’t delay the IGA because the financial industry has already spent SO MUCH money complying with the IGA that THEY ASSUMED would be signed!
So the Canadian government should just go ahead and throw 1 million Canadians under the bus so that the BANKS can justify having spent money readying themselves to send Canadian citizens’ private financial information to a FOREIGN GOVERNMENT?
WELL, I AM SO F…ING SORRY, BUT TOO F…ING BAD!
Lynne!
I was not prepared for how incredible your message was today, both for content and how well you delivered it! WOW!
WONDERFUL!
Thx. I`m all choked up too.
( I am wondering if adding the small comment that those 1 million are going to initiate a class action suit against the government to uphold the charter rights would cause them to rethink too…..but maybe a threat wouldn’t be good at this time.)
@Blaze……right in the cojones of both the male and female members of the committee. thank you from across the pond for saying what Most USPs in the GB , I am sure, feel. I only wish we had UK equivalents!
@Em
The way the opening paragraph at the FP article is written, it sounds like Russel’s aim is to have USC’s in Canada turned over to the IRS.
“The head of Canada’s investment industry association is urging the federal government not to defer legislation that will facilitate handing tax information of U.S. citizens living in Canada to authorities in the United States.”
@Em
I was just getting off a night shift last night and am heading out for a day shift now – had a short turnover time between shifts. Always check IB site last thing at night and first thing in the morning and try to catch up as much as possible. Posted my comment and went to bed – did not see your post until now. Will try to read the FP article (and hopefully comment) tonight.
I was actually expected far more aggressive questioning from the Cons. I think they did n’t do that for a few reasons: Lack of time. They didn’t want to take on a Canadian Grandma. Maybe they really are beginning to get it–but I don’t know if that will make a difference. That was confirmed by Mike Allen when he said Parliament did stand up for Canada when they signed the IGA.
Is it possible they really believed FATCA does not “impact” Canadian citizens as Keddy and Oliver said earlier? If so, Anne Frank’s amendment can be there way out.
Possible next stop: Canadian Senate. I`m going to send a letter today inviting myself to testify before them. I hope we might be able to get a location with better quality video conferencing.
Again, a superb job yesterday, Lynne! You looked great and I loved the Canadian lapel pin! The quality of your video looked fine to me … certainly far better than the one for the gentleman in New York. That was awful!
Thank you, also, for volunteering to appear before the Senate. I really hope they accept your offer! This is an opportunity for that body to redeem itself and truly be what it was designed and meant to be, a chamber for “sober second thought”. But it truly is possible that your words, as well as those of the others who are speaking on our behalf and those who are submitting briefs to the Committee, may, indeed, result in amendments we can all live with. Maybe you won’t need to make that second appearance after all.
@All
I have re-encoded the entire meeting and uploaded it to the IBS YouTube channel. I have also added clickable links to Lynne’s presentation, as well as those of Allison Christians and Arthur Cockfield.
Unlike the original ParlVU version, the new YouTube version is accessible on any iOS device. ParlVU, unfortunately, uses older Windows Media technology that does not play nice with iPhones, iPads etc.
@MuzzledNoMore: Believe it or not, I was not permitted to have a Canadian flag behind me when I testified. That is considered a prop. So, I did the next best thing with my lapel pin.
JustMe,
I see that Deckard has put the video on YouTube
UPDATED LINKS TO THE VIDEO:
ParlVU site: The original ParlVU video
Isaac Brock Society YouTube channel: The entire meeting with links to Lynne, Allison Christians and Arthur Cockfield
Great work, Deckard!
Highlights:
HOUSE OF COMMONS
2nd Session, 41st Parliament
NOTICE OF MEETING
Standing Committee on Finance
Meeting No. 34
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
(613-947-7776)
Orders of the Day
Televised
Bill C-31, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures
Witnesses
3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
@calgary411
I can add links to all of the presentations this evening – just don’t have time at the moment since I’m heading off to work. As I mentioned, I have added clickable links to Lynne’s, Allison’s and Arthur’s presentations.
Thanks so much Deckard.
Is anyone able to place the Senate meetings on You Tube? For some reason, I an view all of House of Commons sessions with no problem on ParlVu, but I can’t see the Senate hearings.
Thanks.
Thanks so much for your work on this, Deckard.
(As an aside, Sure wish you had been the one videotaping the May 2nd Toronto ACA meeting, which we have yet to view! http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/05/07/solving-us-citizenship-problems-ottawa-information-session/comment-page-1/#comment-1742957)
Cross-commenting: http://maplesandbox.ca/2014/lynnes-opening-statement-to-the-finance-committee/comment-page-1/#comment-43671
@Calgary411
There is a lot of “dirt” over the May 2nd ACA meeting that I am not at liberty to speak about online. I am happy I went because I think the video will never see the light of day(Too offensive for US members of Congress)
Tim:
What?? Oh no! I’ve been waiting and waiting for those videos.
Will somebody please spill some beans on what is going on here…?
ACA Video censored because it may offend Congress? What?!?
Although Canada is currently not one of them, there are around 38 countries that have military conscription including FATCA IGA signatories (or would-be signatories) Austria, Denmark, Mexico, S. Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan. After a country has betrayed its duals to the US under FATCA, why should these same dual citizens continue to exhibit loyalty to it in time of war?
The politicians of FATCA IGA signatory countries should be asking themselves whether the betrayal of their dual citizens will come back to haunt them if their military service is again required. Are these countries inadvertently creating a fifth-column within part of their population? FATCA IGA countries are showing to their duals the practice common in the commercial world: “You can be loyal to the country but the country can’t be loyal to you.”