UPDATE SEPTEMBER 19, 2015: SEE ALSO DISCLAIMER AND LITIGATION UPDATES.
[This post, which began in May and having over 1000 revisions and 2000 comments, is being retired from service and updates. It lived through the success of reaching a total of $500,000 in donations from our kind, dear supporters who had little money to give, the hope and disappointment with the summary trial decision, and the certainty that we are now finally moving on to the Charter trial.]
CANADIAN CHARTER TRIAL UPDATE:
— We have instructed the Arvay team to prepare for the “Constitutional-Charter” trial. This means that our focus now, as it was in the beginning of our lawsuit, is on the Charter trial.
Unless there is a new expense in the future that we have not anticipated, the monies from your donations will be sufficient to take us through the “constitutional-charter” trial in Federal Court. However, to pay other legal bills we will need additional donations from our supporters, and a request for donations will appear on another post soon.
OUR LITIGATION HISTORY:
One year ago, on August 11, 2014, Litigator Joseph Arvay filed a FATCA IGA lawsuit in Canada Federal Court on behalf of Plaintiffs Ginny and Gwen, the Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty (en français), and all peoples.
Because of a Government delay we initiated a “summary trial”, using a portion of the arguments, which offered the possibility of preventing private banking information from being turned over to the IRS before September 30, 2015. See Alliance’s Claims, our Alliance blog, and AUGUST 4-5 SUMMARY TRIAL FILINGS in LITIGATION UPDATES.
ooops BB, I mean, I am not at an unfair ADvantage.
This appears to be game-playing, so I’m out.
So seriously guys, before anymore stones are throne…you guys are good by the way….hit where it hurts every time, even the ACDC directors (especially the ACDC directors actually), I just want to say that, I am passionate about what is CANADIAN SOVEREIGNTY. \
Don’t fluff it off and use it as an excuse to attack American issues that should be fought by American citizens on American soil. You DISRESPECT Canadian soverignty by confusing it with American exceptionalism. You ain’t that special. Go away, This is Canada.
Whatever I said in private, Dreamer, or whatever you call yourself now, does not need defence. It was made in an effort to spare either of us any additional embarrassment, as I can only assume Steven was attempting to do when he sent you a private message. I suppose it’s all an attack to you no matter how it’s served up. We are our own worst enemies at times.
@TheMom, yeah, it is so easy to criticize, but really kind of hard to formulate an argument. Personally I like the challenge. Whatever floats your boat though.
OK. You guys all win. I’m done.
BB, Maybe, just maybe that embarrassment belongs to someone else. The pain, however, belongs totally to me. Thank you all.
Dreamer: Stephen has been direct and respectful in asking you to be equally respectful in your arguments. You seem to think Stephen and others on the Board of ADCS are on a power trip.
Before I say anything further, I must do a disclaimer that I am officially affiliated with ADCS as Chair of the Legal Challenge Committee, but I am not on the Board. I can assure you that Stephen, John, Tricia and Carol are not any kind of power trip. I would note that all of us who are directly involved with ADCS are using our real names publicly. There are not many individuals impacted by this issue who are willing to do that.
I know Stephen and the Board have worked non-stop on this issue for over a year–often at the expense of their professional, personal and family lives. They have thoroughly considered every decision they have made with tremendous thought, care and diligence. There have been discussions, agreements and disagreements. I have been part of some of them and not part of others.
What I do know without question is what a superb job Stephen has done raising money, discussing and negotiating with the Arvay team and other lawyers, working through legal issues and strategies, traveling to meet with a wide range of officials in the United States on his own time and expense, reading the massive number of often heart wrenching letters that arrive with donations, answering questions, supporting individuals, recruiting plaintiffs and witnesses, dealing with the media and never, never, never giving up. (I realize that I have probably left out much more of what Stephen has done.)
There is a massive amount of activity going on. Much of it cannot be publicly shared. I am not involved or aware of all of it. Stephen and I have not always agreed on issues. But, I can say with absolute certainty that Stephen and the Board of ADCS are all determined to do whatever they can to defeat the assault of the U.S. on all of our lives with the complicity of the Canadian government.
Stephen and others simply asked that people be respectful in working through disagreements and discussions. I agree with those suggestions.
@Dreamer
Re: “Don’t fluff it off and use it as an excuse to attack American issues that should be fought by American citizens on American soil. You DISRESPECT Canadian soverignty by confusing it with American exceptionalism. You ain’t that special. Go away, This is Canada.”
Sounds pretty anti-American to me. In fact, your attitude might border on actual hatred of Americans. Too bad you’re one too! You can keep denying this reality, or you can deal with it as the rest of us are attempting to do.
This exchange is getting boring, repetitive and unnecessarily hostile, and all for reasons I can’t comprehend. It’s beginning to feel like the end of the movie “The Commitments”, where the band, just on the verge of success, breaks up in acrimony.
The dearth of comments from others (including me) indicates that many of us are rapidly being turned off. Can we just quit it? Please?
@Blaze re: ” Dreamer: Stephen has been direct and respectful in asking you to be equally respectful in your arguments. You seem to think Stephen and others on the Board of ADCS are on a power trip.”
Really, I don’t think that sending me private emails criticizing my comments here at Brock is respectful. I am sorry that I had to bring that up, but it is an intimidation tactic, not respectful.
Barbara,no we can’t just quit it. We get to speak FREELY HERE.
I would just like to know WTF I said?
Seriously, I will just all go away and think about why I am called OCD/ANAL/DA troll/disrespectful towards ADCS.
Not my words, but apparently this is me.
Oh I know!
You are as hated as I am. YOU ALL’ are ‘TAX CHEATS’!
Be careful what you wish for. Diss the low status ones that hang with you, but do not bitch when they do not rise in your defence when you need them later,
I just made that up. Yeah it sucks. I am going to bed.
I think going to bed is a pretty good idea.
I don’t think I need to go anywhere. My family has been right here, oh, about 10,000 years or more. My family was here looong before it was “Canada”. Even the European part of my family. (Interestingly, one of my ancestors was the first “white” woman executed in what became Canada.). Also interesting is the fact that, while I was born 20 minutes away, in what is now the US, it was formerly part of New France.
See how unimportant birthplace can be?
And…can’t wait to have enough to send another donation. Onwards and upwards!
@NC Yes, but why do I want to cry?
No one cares about Canadian Sovereignty. That is just a smoke screen.
I do not know why you want to cry. It has been a long day and it is late. Going to bed is a good idea. Tomorrow is another day.
The Canadian politicians who refused to defend Canada against an American ENFORCED (not imposed) so called intergovernmental agreement, don’t care about Canadian sovereignty.
Hide behind a cause, hope that it supports your personal agenda, and throw money at it – what do you get?
Answer: What you (and your children and grandchildren) deserve to get.
A CBT attack is NOT a CANADIAN FIGHT. Those who support it are NOT concerning themselves with Canadian sovereignty, It is extremely offensive to be accused of being many rude things when my main purpose here a an individual is to protect the sovereignty of the country that I love – CANADA.
CANADIANS do not need to attack US law within the USA. We defend Canadian borders from foreign law. To pretend to protect Canadian sovereignty while really having an ulterior motive (no matter how altruistic the motive) eliminates the good in everything you are trying to do. I do not know how else to say this, and am so getting why everyone wants to burn me. STOP: THE BULLSHIT!
FIght immoral American law, but STOP MAKING THIS A CANADIAN ISSUE!
Such an isolated group…wonder what the average Canadian thinks? I am probably closer to the average Canadian than most of you who are arguing that USA’s CBT laws are reap for attack from a group that purports to defend Canadian sovereignty.
Sorry guys. It just does NOT WORK. Think of something else. Canadian sovereignty ranks higher than American exceptionalism. Don’t like it. Work on improving the defence of the country you live in. Us Canadian are tough bitches. You want us to defend the Americans among us? Then do not use our sovereignty as an excuse to attack stupid American laws. Wake up.
From Ben Franklin, who would be on our side:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the battle was lost…
It is our task to pry the nail (IGA enabling legislation) from the horseshoe. The battle (CBT) will be lost in due course. It matters not who will get the credit when the rotted carcass of CBT finally falls, and of course we can walk and chew gum at the same time. It is all of a piece. But the nail must be pried loose! Forgive my mixed metaphors, but they help my feeble mind sort these things out. Peace to all of you friends!
Wow, we are into May already and working towards the final payment for this lawsuit. Very exciting to see an update of the litigation? I appreciate the team sharing what they feel is safe to share and I am confident that things are. Icing forward, even when it feels like slow moving. I knew at the beginning this would take time, after all we are up against big and powerful government.
FATCA affects me because I am married to a American citizen who has lived in Canada for over 50 years. He is not a Canadian citizen and while I don’t understand his reasons for not taking out citizenship in all other ways he is Canadian. He pays taxes, raised our children here, has never identified as an American, curls, cheers for Canadian hockey teams and flys the Canadian flag. While he has applied for citizenship we know that this does not solve any of the issues facing him as an American but to him it’s just a formality because he has always felt that he is Canadian. For us the question of sovereignty is important and this lawsuit, no matter what the outcome will help send governments the message that people really do matter.
Onward and upward and keep focused on the purpose that is clearly outlined by ADCS. Many people will want us to fail or will be negative due to a lack of understanding or just because their vision differs but most will keep on track. The track that is going forward, not backwards or sideways.