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WILL CANADA’S REAL LEADER
PLEASE STAND UP
A commentary on the stony silence by Canada’s
Political Leaders on the Issue of Unfair Taxation.
by Victor Drummond © September 2007


Like the television show -- of a few years back -- we now have several people claiming to be the best option as Canada’s next prime minister – and best qualified to form Canada’s next Government.

The television show provided three people who all claimed to be the real: McCoy : but only one of them actually was.

The other two were impostors, well briefed in the details of McCoy’s history, i.e. mother’s maiden name, father’s occupation, school McCoy attended, and all such details as may deceive the panel attempting to find: The Real McCoy.

The panel usually consisted of well known personalities, (of the time), such as journalists, Gordon Sinclair, Margaret Atwood, Pierre Burton and/or a well known politician such as David Crombie.

Panellists were allowed to question each contender on items they felt would reveal the impostors and help them identify the real McCoy.

After a few minutes of questions the shows moderator would halt the questioning and ask each of the panellists to tell which of the contenders – they thought – was the real McCoy.

When each panellist had stated their selected contestant the moderator would then say: “Will the real McCoy please stand up.”

As I recall a few programs the panellists success rate was about 50/50.

Canada now has a number of political leaders contending to become our next prime minister and to form our next government. Hopefully with a comfortable majority.

They are all currently vying for key issues to beat their drums about in order to convince the voters of this “fair” land that they – and their cadre of potential Members of Parliament, are the real McCoy.

That they alone will give our citizens -- the very best in Government -- and administration of Canada’s natural resources, finances and standard of living.

That they alone will improve Canada’s image on the world stage, will upgrade our standard of living, will provide full employment, will take care of our homeless population, will solve our healthcare problems, will resolve education issues, etc.

Of course at, or near the top of the list is what to do about “Global Warming”. This is a red hot Issue – even though compared to countries like the United States, and China, and India Canada’s contribution of Greenhouse Gasses -- to the whole – is about 2% of the total i.e. quite insignificant.

Never-the-less the potential next prime minister can garner a lot of votes
by promising to meet some arbitrary reduction of Canada’s GHG contribution within some not-too-distant future date.

Another red-hot issue is getting Canada’s troops out of harms way in the middle east.

That is a really tough issue. If we withdraw our troops while the Americans and British are still fighting the good fight -- then there are a whole host of potential downsides – ranging from deserting our allies in the middle of battle -- to abandoning helpless women and children to a fate as bad -- or worse than death.

This is a difficult issue to be sure. And do not forget the old adage:- Politics and war make for strange bedfellows. Your enemy one day often becomes one of your allies the next.

But played carefully this issue can get the political candidate -- for prime minister -- a lot of votes.

How about some issues on the home front? Say for example the rise of the Canadian dollar to par or more with the USA dollar?

This item has a lot of pros and cons. The Canadian Auto Industry see’s declining sales and wholesale loss of employment. Likewise Canada’s retail and tourist industry.

On the other hand Canada’s travellers – especially those who winter in the tropical regions of the USA and Europe -- see a big advantage in our rising dollar.

Thousands of Canadians are figuratively breaking the sound barrier to go shopping in the USA with their newfound par money.

Where do the brownie points maximize on this issue?

Should the would-be next prime minister promise to lower Canadian Interest rates to suppress the Canadian dollar and give local home and car buyers a bit of a break?

How about the issue of “Fair Taxation”? Of course every political leader feels safe in Promising “FAIR TAXATION”

That very plank was listed twice in the Conservative Election platform during the 2006 election campaign.

In fact not only was the commitment made – in general terms – but some real action actually took place.

This happened when the newly elected Conservative Member of Parliament -- for the riding of: “Saanich – Gulf Islands” -- in British Columbia succeeded in getting a tax remission order issued, in 2006, to cancel deferred taxes on money the select group of taxpayers had never received.

Nice start Mr. Gary Lunn and Right Honourable Stephen Harper – you were
both on the right track – no one should ever be taxed on trumped up
“Earned” income that was neither “Earned” nor “Income”.

But what happened? Those 60+ employees --of the now defunct JDS Uniphase plant in British Columbia -- who you saw fit to treat “fairly” were only a wart on the elephant.

They represent a very small fraction of the total number of the “taxable benefits” fraud victims that have been exploited for years -- right across Canada.

Is it because of the size of the felony that has caused you, and all of your party members, to clam up on this issue? Even the Conservative Party blog page administrators won’t even acknowledge a question on this issue.

Is the cause any less “just” because it involves more money, and many
more victims,than was realized at first? The very opposite should be true.
The more extensive the problem the more urgent is the need for corrective action.

The more widespread the injustice and the more of our taxpayers -- who
have been victimized -- should add to the need to correct the problem – not run and hide from it.

There is more than adequate evidence that this crime -- against Canadian taxpayers -- has been brought to the attention of every current Canadian political leader, more than once.

Yet not one has dared to admit to the existence of this issue – let alone make election promises to correct the problem. Why not?

Do they all place a cash value on their integrity, and, credibility? It sure seems so.

Should the Canadian voters reward any of them for their honesty -- in not facing an issue they have no intention, or hope, of correcting – and therefore avoid making phoney promises?

Definitely not.

There are all kinds of contenders who will promise nothing and deliver exactly that.

Canada does not need a political leader who can not recognize an injustice
when it is repeatedly brought to his/her attention.

Canadians do not need a political leader that hides from local injustices while making a big issue of getting a bit of justice for a paltry few – defending the rights of others – even those in far away lands but ignoring the rights of the victims of injustice right here in Canada.

If there is a real political leader – out there – that will acknowledge the atrocious treatment imposed on Canadian taxpayers -- via the defective “taxable benefit” legislation – and will commit to taking real, and timely, action to rectify this problem:

THAT LEADER IS: “THE REAL McCOY.”

WILL HE OR SHE PLEASE STAND UP?
MANY THOUSANDS OF CANADIAN VICTIMS ARE WAITING TO VOTE FOR YOU.

Victor Drummond ©