A VETERANS THOUGHTS...

A VETERANS THOUGHTS ON VETERANS DAY
November 11 2009-11-09

By Victor Drummond ©

On Monday November 9, 2009 the Toronto Globe and Mail Newspaper featured a political article with the title: “Harper marks communism’s point of no return.”

He is referring to the day the Berlin Wall came down and Germany was re-established as a unified nation – November 9 1989. On that day freedom and equality were greatly improved for all Germans living in East and West Germany.

And I am willing to bet Harper can recall the day, to the very minute, the Canadian “STONEWALL” went up blocking all further official response to appeals -- by Canadian victims of Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and it's application policy -- for treatment equal to that given 37 similar victims in Saanich British Columbia.

Even appeals sent -- to all levels of Canada’s government -- by the non-profit group: “Canadians for Fair and Equitable Taxation” (CFET), pleading for equal treatment under the law and fair taxation by our government – have been stonewalled all through the years 2008 and 2009.

Prior to the 2006 Federal Election – while the federal conservative party was the official opposition – the party slogan was: “STAND UP FOR CANADA” with a whole series of “Action Plans” which they said were going to provide “Fair” and “Equitable Taxation” for all Canadians.

Then after the Conservatives were elected to power they wasted no time in seeming to fulfill that promise by the speedy passing of a Tax Remission Order (TRO) that revoked the tax on “earned income” that was neither “earned” nor “income” of any kind.

It was money never seen by those victimized by Canada’s defective taxable benefit legislation and application policy. It was a tax levied on a deemed gain as of an arbitrary moment in time. i.e. phantom income.

When the Gary Lunn TRO was announced thousands of Canadians, victimized by the same tax fiasco, cheered and rightfully expected the Right Honourable Stephen Harper to fulfill his commitment to “resolve the problem” as he was quoted per an article published in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper at that time.

Unfortunately our Prime Minister is not as good as his word.

On, or about, December 7th 2007 The Victoria times Colonist published another article under the title: “JDS deal dangerous precedent, Ottawa told.”

The text of the article relates how the Gary Lunn TRO was approved by cabinet despite OBJECTIONS from officials at Finance and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

“Senior bureaucrats warned such a decision was unfair to other taxpayers and set a dangerous precedent for employees of other high-tech who watched their fortunes rise and fall during the dot-com boom and subsequent crash.”

Very apparently senior bureaucrats in the office of the Minister of Finance and in the CRA are not the least bit interested in the level of fairness of their tax policies. It is obvious that all they care about is getting their hands on every tax dollar the law will allow.

So Mr. Harper did an abrupt about face and the Canadian “Stonewall” went up suddenly on, or about, December 7 2007.

Canada’s Stonewall is every bit as insidious, as was the Berlin Wall, when it comes to disrupting citizens rights, and freedoms.

If, as Mr. Harper was quoted in the Globe and Mail Article regarding the Berlin Wall coming down: “It will honour the men and women of the Canadian Forces who served during that confrontation.”

Then what does the raising of a rights and freedoms “STONEWALL” in Canada say about the dishonor imposed on every Canadian military person who thought they were fighting for a fair and honourable government?

As a veteran of WWII I can tell you I feel betrayed and I believe so would every WWII veteran who becomes fully apprised of the tax -- on phantom income -- events from the year 2000 to date.

Every Canadian is entitled to equal treatment under Canadian Law, as declared in the recently updated "Taxpayers Bill of Rights".

Appeals from victims, of taxes levied on money never seen, have been -- and still are being -- denied this right by the very person who loudly proclaimed the introduction of that bill in Toronto’s historic Dominion Public Building in mid May 2007. None other than "The Hon" James Flaherty, Minister of Finance.

I have no use for hypocrites. Especially those who display such a low opinion of other Canadians as to attempt mass deception.

The updated “Taxpayers Bill of Rights” co-announced with the creation of a new government officer with the title: “Taxpayers Ombudsman” was nothing more than a publicity stunt intended to create the impression the Taxpayers Ombudsman has the authority to enforce the terms contained in the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The office of the Taxpayers Ombudsman is a sub-division of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the ombudsman has absolutely no power of enforcement of any kind. (An expensive farce on the Canadian Taxpayer)

If Canadians -- who felt called upon to participate in Canada’s Military Forces – back in the 1940’s had reacted like our Right Honourable Prime Minister -- to warnings their decision to defend Canada is a dangerous act -- I wonder what Canada’s contribution to the war effort would have looked like?

After a few convoy ships were sunk would Canada have had a viable merchant marine force?

After a few aircraft were shot down would we have had a Canadian Air force?

After a few armoured cars and/or tanks were blown up would we have had an armoured Corps.

Canadians had an alternative to risking their lives by not going General Service (Active Service) during the call to arms in the 1940’s. They could have opted to join Canada’s Home Guard Military Forces and been relatively safe from enemy action. Safe, that is, until the enemy arrived on North American shores.

I see the Home Guard option as being the equivalent of our Right Honourable Prime Minister doing an about face and failing to fulfill his commitment “to resolve the problem” and provide “Fair” and “Equitable Taxation” for all Canadians as promised in the 2006 conservative “STAND UP FOR CANADA” Action Plans.

Today I will wear my Poppy proudly and thank those who risked their lives in all our conflicts, to preserve Canadian social values, integrity, honesty, courage, dignity and above all fairness.

But I won’t watch spineless hypocrites, on TV, paying lip-service to real Canadians while maintaining Canada’s STONEWALL policy on the issue of fair taxation -- all the while ignoring the financial distress this policy has, and still is, wreaking on honest, hard-working Canadians.

See you at the voting polls in the next federal election O’Grady.

Victor Drummond ©