Notably National Post columnists Matt Gurney the author of the above piece has been in favor of enhanced US Canadian law enforcement cooperation(see below) but says the latest US demands are “too much”
Category Archives: Issues regarding US persons abroad
From the land of the free to the @BarackObama #Orwellian #PRISM security state
#EdwardSnowden granted refugee status in Russia, leaves airport http://t.co/TlpPHYj0xj – Guess he has more rights in Russia than in the US
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) August 1, 2013
#Manning verdict leaves 4 big issues http://t.co/69k1jQqUgr – Has the @barackobama land of the free become an #orwellian security state?
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) August 1, 2013
What’s up in the “Land of the free and the home of the brave”?
The above two tweets reference articles in today’s Globe. Note the following from the second article:
Obama’s record on whistleblowing
Since taking office less than six years ago, Mr. Obama has pursued more espionage charges against government employees than all other past presidents combined. It was therefore unsurprising that when Mr. Manning pleaded guilty earlier this year to several lesser offences that would have brought him about 20 years of imprisonment, the government refused to bargain and opted instead to prosecute the most serious charges.
By throwing the book at, and making an example of Mr. Manning, Ed Snowden and all other alleged whistleblowers, the U.S. administration clearly hopes to send an intimidating chill throughout the civil service, and in so doing reduce the incidence of leaking.
Is this strategy, in combination with the imposition of curbs on civil liberties and constitutional rights, transforming the erstwhile land of the free into a something disturbingly Orwellian – a national security state? Not an insignificant query.
This is a good article and provides good opportunity for comment and discussion.
@TD_Canada begins #FATCA Hunt and embraces role as #IRS deputy – #expatriation anyone?
We have one more indication of FATCA causing problems for U.S. citizens in Canada. The first involved a bank account with the Royal Bank. In this case the RRSP account of a Canadian resident was frozen because she was suspected to be a U.S. person. We now have more indications of trouble …
What follows is a comment that appeared on July 9. It is significant because it demonstrates how serious the hunt for “U.S. persons” will become. Look around they are everywhere. Who knows, maybe one of them can be your retirement plan.
US Wants Its Police in Canada and to Have Them Exempt from Canadian Law
Toronto Star, 31 July 2013:
“The United States wants its police officers to be exempt from Canadian law if they agree to take part in a highly touted cross-border policing initiative, an internal RCMP memo says. … The debate over whose laws would apply to U.S. officers working in Canada raises important questions of sovereignty and police accountability, says the briefing note prepared for RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.”
Does this have implications for anyone who winds up in trouble/penalties over tax issues? Is Canada a sovereign country or is Canada the 51st State? Some people call that country on our southern border the United States of Arrogance (I picked up that appropriate term from Blaze) What could be more arrogant than wanting to be exempt from a country’s law, and use your own country’s law, when you are in their country?
In 1812, the US attempted to invade us in a concrete physical way. Didn’t work. Two hundred years later, they are attempting to invade us in an invisible way, little-by-little, and impose their law on us and they have the arrogance to think that Americans should be exempt from our law when they’re in our country. We are not the 51st State, we are not a US colony, and we are not a US police protectorate.
Thanks to Lora and Schubert for discovering this news, which can be read at:
And for further details and discussion on this programme also see Noble Dreamer’s post on this topic from last summer.
The particular development in today’s news is that they’re trying to get exempted from Canadian law whilst in Canada. This programme sounded problematic to begin with, and this implementation-of-US-law-in-Canada proposal sounds more similar to an occupying force than a partnership.
Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s RIGHTS WATCH CONFERENCE in Toronto September 20-21, 2013
I just noticed this while looking at FB timeline. Perhaps of interest to those who live in the area.
Each year the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s RightsWatch Conference brings together a wide variety of stakeholders and community members, including academics, public officials, lawyers, students and interested members of the public for an intimate conference. This year CCLA is pleased to partner with Ryerson University’s Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation, the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre, and the Ryerson Law Research Centre to present Civil Liberties and Democracy in the Digital Age: Privacy, Media and Free Expression. There will be a series of discussions on the impact that new technologies and modes of communication have on legal and societal understandings of privacy, freedom of expression and the media. We are planning panels on surveillance, anonymity and expression in ‘public’ space, freedom of the press and the citizen journalist, the application of constitutional guarantees of privacy to new communications technologies, access to information and ‘open’ government, and privacy and expression in the private sector.
Join us Friday, September 20, 2013 for an evening keynote and reception, and Saturday, September 21, 2013 for a full-day conference.
Notes From the June 15th Meeting in Toronto -“Traumatized by the IRS & the US Reaching into Canada?”
I have received an okay to publish these notes from the Speaker of Part 2 of the meeting that was held in Toronto on June 15. I apologize that they are not in narrative form; I don’t have total memory of all that was said nor did I understand everything that was said and I fear giving the wrong impression if I were to attempt to elaborate. Hopefully, the general sense is correct. I wanted to do them as a separate post so that more might see them; it seems less people will benefit if they were buried as comments only. Many ideas were remembered by commentors on the original post but there are some important ideas that need to come out. The Speaker did an excellent job outlining and organizing a lot of information that many will need as they try to figure out what to do about their own situation. Also, I did not take any notes on the first session as it was my understanding that it was to be completely private and I thought it would be inappropriate for me to do so.
Fareed Zakaria: US must stop cowering in fear
@FareedZakaria Loved ur book "The Post – American World". Brilliant observation in Ch 7 pg 275 that US "needs to stop cowering in fear"!
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) July 31, 2013
I have been reading a really good book by Fareed Zakaria called:
The book talks about a lot of things that are discussed on this blog. If nothing else I urge you to read Chapter 7 (the last chapter) titled “American Purpose”. In a general sense the book describes and offer specific strategies for what America must do to recover.
As Americans Abroad we observe what Homelanders cannot. We see time after time how the U.S. attacks everybody. What is the consequence? A rise in Anti-Americanism!
Here are six examples of U.S. attacks:
– the use of drones strikes which kill innocent people;
– the use of FATCA to attack the sovereignty of other nations;
– the use of Americans Abroad through the citizenship-based taxation to attack the economies of other countries;
– the brutal unprovoked, unprincipled, uncalled for and unjustified attack on its own citizens abroad;
– the use of the Patriot Act to end the constitutional rights of Homelanders;
– the use of PRISM to spy on the world.
The U.S. presumes everybody is a criminal. Now the U.S. has is the most frightened and paranoid country in the world (possible exception North Korea).
An urgent return from exile: UPDATE 2
UPDATE 2: Day 18 since the disappearance of Wally Dunn.
A big thank you to all who expressed their wishes of support and to those indicated that they were praying for my family. It means a lot to me.
Through my talking to people in area, a few claimed that they may have seen my father in the Big Lake area. Two eye-witnesses believed that they saw my dad in Big Lake IGA. Jerry Hill, the IGA manager, very kindly permitted me to view the surveillance video for as long as I needed and for two days that was my job. Evidently, the witnesses saw other older gentlemen whom they thought was Wally Dunn. That showed to me the limited value of sightings by people who had never met my dad, unfortunately. I only heard of the Montana Creek after returning to Ontario. But the quality of this sighting may not be better than the ones that we already knew about. Continue reading
Traumatized by the IRS reaching into the World? London, July 28, 2-5 pm (UPDATE)
UPDATE: I received the following note from my contact:
1. I have arranged for a very experienced U.S./UK Tax Adviser to participate as well. This guy is very good – I have met him and heard him speak.
2. There will also be participation from an Investment Banker who has experience with a wide range of U.K. investments and has successfully navigated the Expatriation process. In other words – the attendees are going to have the chance to hear from people who really understand U.K. investment products and the like.
3. The session will still be in the overall context of dealing with the trauma.
The original Canadian meeting for those traumatized by the IRS in Canada took place in Toronto on June 15 with a clinical psychologist and a Toronto lawyer (read more here). Now, the Toronto lawyer will be available for a meeting in London, England, for one session:
Time: Sunday, 28 July, 2-5 pm
Location: The Church Hall, St. Pancras Church House, Lancing Street, NW1 1NA
New Zealand IRD Prepares its Tax Agents and Financial Institutions for FATCA Compliance
Without fanfare or public announcements, New Zealand’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has published technical guidance notes on it’s web site for NZ Tax Agents. It is found under Tax technical information Te parongo mo te take hangarau
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)
- What the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act is and who it applies to
- How the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act could affect you or your business
- Inland Revenue’s role in the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
- Key dates to know about
- Find out more
Under ‘Inland Revenue’s role’, you will see their note about negotiating the FATCA IGA to reduce compliance burden.
Just as the days of New Zealand standing up to America’s Nukes are eroding, it would appear, that it is just a matter of time before Treasury has another IGA notch on their gun. I rarely hear a peep out of U.S. Persons in NZ, and of course, there is no media coverage. The FATCA round up will be like sheep to shearing shed.