CDN-Economy & Related Factors
- Thread starter Ocean Breeze
- Start date
We the tax slaves of Canada are paying for a bunch of welfare recipient bum politicians and bureaucrats who keep shafting us every day of every year. They do nothing to try and make and help keep Canada great anymore. All they seem to want to do is to try and bankrupt Canada with more government, more rules and regulations, more bureaucracy, more foreign aid and more and higher taxes. It would seem that freedom is not a part of their communist globalist agenda.
What a job they have, eh?
Bell adds $500M to spending plans after CRTC tosses controversial ruling - BNN Bloomberg
Bell is adding up to a half billion dollars to its already-expanded capital spending plan, amid what its chief executive officer is heralding as "greater regulatory stability."
On top of the $600 million grant for low earth satellites. Now they can charge what they want without small competitors. Nice and neat. Thank you Mr Trudeau, it has been a pleasure to do business.
LILLEY: Taxpayers ripped off for weak anti-racism training
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:May 31, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 3 minute read • 37 Comments
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19, in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19, in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /REUTERS
Article content
Justin Trudeau is the type of guy who sees racism at every turn, except apparently when he’s wearing blackface and looking in the mirror. The prime minister not only likes to falsely accuse others of racism, his government is spending big to make sure that civil servants aren’t racist.
After we broke the story about some bizarre anti-racism training for civil servants two months ago, the Conservative opposition asked the Liberal government to explain all of this cost and what was behind it.
We now have details on the costs, how many training sessions were held and how many people were trained.
I don’t think we got our money’s worth.
If you don’t recall, this is the training session that told senior civil servants to question everything, including the very name of our country. “Racism and colonialism foundational to this place we now call Canada,” reads the heading for one “fact” listed under “Myths and Facts.”
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“Canada — a colonial settler society — is a concept based on many myths, including European discovery and harmonious multiculturalism,” the civil servants were told.
One myth and fact they were not allowed to question is that only white people can be racist.
“Myth #1 Reverse racism exists, BIPOC can be racists towards white people,” the section is titled.
“While assumptions and stereotypes about white people do exist, this is considered racial prejudice, not racist,” participants are informed. “Thus, racial prejudice can indeed be directed at white people (e.g. ‘white people can’t dance’) but is not considered racism because of the systemic relationship to power.”
The civil servants were also told about the dangers of white supremacy, which is a very real problem, but the training system developed by the good folks at Global Affairs Canada has some odd ideas about what is and what isn’t white supremacy.
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In a slide for the presentation, participants were told that “Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture” include objectivity, individualism, perfectionism, a sense of urgency, and either/or thinking.
I’m thinking they either didn’t think that one through or have no idea what they are talking about.
Participants did learn in the training that wearing blackface is an overt act of white supremacy which may make them uncomfortable the next time they see our prime minister, the man who mandated this training. When the guy leading up the government you serve wore blackface more times than he can remember, it must be rather uncomfortable.
Now, what did all of this cost? Did they just buy it off the shelf? Did they contract this out to a Liberal-friendly firm with no competition?
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The best thing we can tell you is that this was not a sole-sourced contract to one of Trudeau’s friends or relatives. That may sound shocking, but it is apparently true.
In their official response in the House of Commons, the government wrote that, “the course was designed in-house with the input of internal and external subject matter experts, including self-identified black, Indigenous and other racialized employees.”
They also told us that, “the training was designed to strengthen the competencies of Global Affairs Canada’s management cadre with a view to develop an understanding of what racism is, to recognize the negative impacts of racial discrimination and how it can manifest itself in the workplace.” Again, helpful in dealing with Trudeau.
As for the cost, this programming set taxpayers back $148,365 to deliver 32 virtual sessions to 397 executives.
That may not be a lot of money, but the money isn’t the issue, it’s the content paid for with that money.
Based on what these executives were taught, the taxpayers got ripped off and the executives are no closer to understanding racism or dealing with it.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:May 31, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 3 minute read • 37 Comments
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19, in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 18, 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks to a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19, in Ottawa, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /REUTERS
Article content
Justin Trudeau is the type of guy who sees racism at every turn, except apparently when he’s wearing blackface and looking in the mirror. The prime minister not only likes to falsely accuse others of racism, his government is spending big to make sure that civil servants aren’t racist.
After we broke the story about some bizarre anti-racism training for civil servants two months ago, the Conservative opposition asked the Liberal government to explain all of this cost and what was behind it.
We now have details on the costs, how many training sessions were held and how many people were trained.
I don’t think we got our money’s worth.
If you don’t recall, this is the training session that told senior civil servants to question everything, including the very name of our country. “Racism and colonialism foundational to this place we now call Canada,” reads the heading for one “fact” listed under “Myths and Facts.”
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“Canada — a colonial settler society — is a concept based on many myths, including European discovery and harmonious multiculturalism,” the civil servants were told.
One myth and fact they were not allowed to question is that only white people can be racist.
“Myth #1 Reverse racism exists, BIPOC can be racists towards white people,” the section is titled.
“While assumptions and stereotypes about white people do exist, this is considered racial prejudice, not racist,” participants are informed. “Thus, racial prejudice can indeed be directed at white people (e.g. ‘white people can’t dance’) but is not considered racism because of the systemic relationship to power.”
The civil servants were also told about the dangers of white supremacy, which is a very real problem, but the training system developed by the good folks at Global Affairs Canada has some odd ideas about what is and what isn’t white supremacy.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
In a slide for the presentation, participants were told that “Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture” include objectivity, individualism, perfectionism, a sense of urgency, and either/or thinking.
I’m thinking they either didn’t think that one through or have no idea what they are talking about.
Participants did learn in the training that wearing blackface is an overt act of white supremacy which may make them uncomfortable the next time they see our prime minister, the man who mandated this training. When the guy leading up the government you serve wore blackface more times than he can remember, it must be rather uncomfortable.
Now, what did all of this cost? Did they just buy it off the shelf? Did they contract this out to a Liberal-friendly firm with no competition?
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The best thing we can tell you is that this was not a sole-sourced contract to one of Trudeau’s friends or relatives. That may sound shocking, but it is apparently true.
In their official response in the House of Commons, the government wrote that, “the course was designed in-house with the input of internal and external subject matter experts, including self-identified black, Indigenous and other racialized employees.”
They also told us that, “the training was designed to strengthen the competencies of Global Affairs Canada’s management cadre with a view to develop an understanding of what racism is, to recognize the negative impacts of racial discrimination and how it can manifest itself in the workplace.” Again, helpful in dealing with Trudeau.
As for the cost, this programming set taxpayers back $148,365 to deliver 32 virtual sessions to 397 executives.
That may not be a lot of money, but the money isn’t the issue, it’s the content paid for with that money.
Based on what these executives were taught, the taxpayers got ripped off and the executives are no closer to understanding racism or dealing with it.
LILLEY: Taxpayers ripped off for weak anti-racism training
Justin Trudeau is the type of guy who sees racism at every turn, except apparently when he’s wearing blackface and looking in the mirror. The prime minister…
GUNTER: Trudeau government running Canada's economy into the ground
Author of the article:Lorne Gunter
Publishing date:Jun 04, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 3 minute read • 78 Comments
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Ottawa, Ont. on May 18, 2021.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Ottawa, Ont. on May 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /REUTERS
Article content
The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday that the American economy added 559,000 jobs in May.
Our neighbours’ unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, too, the lowest since the pandemic began 15 months ago.
Yet the Americans were disappointed. It was the second month in a row job creation fell below economists’ predictions.
But if they want to be truly disappointed, they should try out Canada’s numbers.
To have job-creation numbers equal to the Americans’ “disappointing” results, Canada would have had to produce 50,000 new jobs last month.
Instead, we lost 68,000.
And our unemployment rate climbed to 8.2%.
To put this into a little bit different perspective: American job-creation numbers missed the mark expected by analysts by 14%.
Canada’s job performance was off by over 200%.
I’m not entirely sure why that should surprise anyone. Through a combination of fiscal incompetence and economic cluelessness, our federal Liberal government is running the national economy into the ground, largely in the name of “green” fantasies — and their Great Reset on social spending.
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The economy is not producing the jobs the Liberals predicted. What would they expect when they’re paying young people — still — almost as much not to work as they would make working?
And the money is steady — at least until September.
Government COVID aid is an incentive not to work, but irrational and ever-changing lockdown rules are just as job-crushing.
One is federal (aid), the other (lockdowns) is provincial.
Lots of people might take a job rather than a handout. But some wonder what’s the point if they’re just going to be laid off again by another lockdown in a matter of weeks or have to quit to take care of their kids because the schools are closing — again.
The discouraging part is that the Trudeau Liberals are so utterly out of their depth at managing public funds and economic policy that even as Canada emerges from the pandemic we will struggle to rebound financially.
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The main reason this is no surprise is that many of the very same people crashlanding the Canadian economy today were senior advisers in the Ontario Liberal government that nosedived that province’s economy in the 2010s as a result of an expensive, useless Green Energy Act.
That little experiment with Economy-by-Suzuki gave Ontario the highest industrial energy prices on the continent and the highest per capita debt of any province, state or territory in the world.
It cost manufacturers 200,000 jobs, doubled household electricity rates, generated just one-fifth of the “green” jobs forecast and — in the ultimate irony — produced no reduction in emissions.
Now Justin Trudeau and many of Ontario’s green-plan architects are trying to repeat their “success” at the federal level.
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Lord help us.
Closing down Canada’s energy sector, as the Liberals are intent on doing, robs governments of important tax revenues that would help pay for annual deficits of $150 billion to $300 billion. Without oil and gas revenues, the tax burden for paying for all that spending and borrowed money shifts onto middle-class families.
There are fewer jobs, higher energy prices and a lower standard of living — all across Canada, not just in Alberta.
Excess borrowing simply exacerbates those problems. It drives up interest rates, which in turn drives up the cost of homes and cars, as ordinary consumers compete with governments for loans.
That drives up inflation, which wears away at incomes and standards of living. And if it drives up taxes too far (on either the rich or the middle class), that leads to a brain-drain of talented and innovative people to the States.
If Friday’s economic news struck you as bad, just give the Trudeau government’s bright ideas a year or two.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Lorne Gunter
Publishing date:Jun 04, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 3 minute read • 78 Comments
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Ottawa, Ont. on May 18, 2021.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Ottawa, Ont. on May 18, 2021. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /REUTERS
Article content
The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday that the American economy added 559,000 jobs in May.
Our neighbours’ unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, too, the lowest since the pandemic began 15 months ago.
Yet the Americans were disappointed. It was the second month in a row job creation fell below economists’ predictions.
But if they want to be truly disappointed, they should try out Canada’s numbers.
To have job-creation numbers equal to the Americans’ “disappointing” results, Canada would have had to produce 50,000 new jobs last month.
Instead, we lost 68,000.
And our unemployment rate climbed to 8.2%.
To put this into a little bit different perspective: American job-creation numbers missed the mark expected by analysts by 14%.
Canada’s job performance was off by over 200%.
I’m not entirely sure why that should surprise anyone. Through a combination of fiscal incompetence and economic cluelessness, our federal Liberal government is running the national economy into the ground, largely in the name of “green” fantasies — and their Great Reset on social spending.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The economy is not producing the jobs the Liberals predicted. What would they expect when they’re paying young people — still — almost as much not to work as they would make working?
And the money is steady — at least until September.
Government COVID aid is an incentive not to work, but irrational and ever-changing lockdown rules are just as job-crushing.
One is federal (aid), the other (lockdowns) is provincial.
Lots of people might take a job rather than a handout. But some wonder what’s the point if they’re just going to be laid off again by another lockdown in a matter of weeks or have to quit to take care of their kids because the schools are closing — again.
The discouraging part is that the Trudeau Liberals are so utterly out of their depth at managing public funds and economic policy that even as Canada emerges from the pandemic we will struggle to rebound financially.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The main reason this is no surprise is that many of the very same people crashlanding the Canadian economy today were senior advisers in the Ontario Liberal government that nosedived that province’s economy in the 2010s as a result of an expensive, useless Green Energy Act.
That little experiment with Economy-by-Suzuki gave Ontario the highest industrial energy prices on the continent and the highest per capita debt of any province, state or territory in the world.
It cost manufacturers 200,000 jobs, doubled household electricity rates, generated just one-fifth of the “green” jobs forecast and — in the ultimate irony — produced no reduction in emissions.
Now Justin Trudeau and many of Ontario’s green-plan architects are trying to repeat their “success” at the federal level.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
Lord help us.
Closing down Canada’s energy sector, as the Liberals are intent on doing, robs governments of important tax revenues that would help pay for annual deficits of $150 billion to $300 billion. Without oil and gas revenues, the tax burden for paying for all that spending and borrowed money shifts onto middle-class families.
There are fewer jobs, higher energy prices and a lower standard of living — all across Canada, not just in Alberta.
Excess borrowing simply exacerbates those problems. It drives up interest rates, which in turn drives up the cost of homes and cars, as ordinary consumers compete with governments for loans.
That drives up inflation, which wears away at incomes and standards of living. And if it drives up taxes too far (on either the rich or the middle class), that leads to a brain-drain of talented and innovative people to the States.
If Friday’s economic news struck you as bad, just give the Trudeau government’s bright ideas a year or two.
GUNTER: Trudeau government running Canada's economy into the ground
The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday that the American economy added 559,000 jobs in May.
BONOKOSKI: One man rips off Canadian taxpayers for a half-billion
Author of the article:Mark Bonokoski
Publishing date:Jun 05, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • 33 Comments
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
Article content
There is a network of bandits running the U.S.-Canada border with tonnes of contraband cut-rag tobacco destined for illicit cigarette manufacturers on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford and Quebec’s Kahnawake near Montreal.
The public sees the “victimless crime” of cheap smokes selling for $4 a pack rather than legit cigarettes at the local convenience store costing upwards of $18, with more than 70% of the sticker price being taxes.
What the public doesn’t see, however, is these tonnes of machine-ready tobacco costing us multi-millions in lost tax revenues that, for example, could go a long way towards mending a goodly portion of the health care system.
Take one man. Yes, one man.
Phil Howard, 55, of Pink Hill, N.C., was recently sentenced to almost seven years in prison for smuggling cut-rag into Canada via the Akwesasne reserve on Cornwall Island at Cornwall, Ont. The island’s unique in that it straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and the United States, making it a hot zone for smuggling.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The amount of tobacco Howard smuggled into Canada over the years is staggering, with a court in Raleigh, N.C. being told the tax loss to Canada totalled $600 million.
That’s not a typo — Six hundred million dollars in tax losses to Canada alone. And via just one man running contraband tobacco.
Our federal and provincial politicians, however, basically just let it happen because they don’t know how to play a cat-and-mouse game and won’t invest serious money in the special law enforcement and border-authority units that can.
Prosecutors in North Carolina got Howard much like they once got Al Capone. They got him for filing false tax returns and conspiracy to launder money..
Court was told Howard made at least 220 runs from the tobacco belt of Wilson, N.C. — 18-wheelers hauling 53-foot trailers loaded to the hilt with cut-rag tobacco — to the New York portion of Akwesasne or directly into Canada.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
If dropped off in Akwesasne, local smugglers with high-speed boats and night-vision goggles, or sled-drawing snowmobiles in the winter, got the cut-rag across the St. Lawrence River to drop-off areas to be picked up and hauled to Kahnawake or Six Nations.
But it’s like whack-a-mole. One smuggler goes down but others pop up.
As reported in a press release, U.S. District Judge James Dever III also ordered Howard to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,062,192 in restitution for tax losses to the United States and forfeit $2,232,814 as proceeds of his money laundering activity
(In the U.S., tobacco is deemed an agricultural product; in Canada it’s a controlled substance.)
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Toronto Sun files
BONOKOSKI: Trudeau-Freeland budget discounts cost of organized crime
the contraband cigarette trade continues to expand unabated.
BONOKOSKI: Budget watchdog points to losses due to illicit smokes
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
“This prosecution demonstrates the far-reach of organized crime and the success of international and multi-district law enforcement cooperation in holding those individuals responsible for their criminal conduct, whether it be obstruction of justice, money laundering, or tax evasion,” said acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker III. “Our office will continue to vigorously pursue the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.”
Then the Internal Revenue Service’s Acting Special Agent Mona Passmore weighed in.
“To build faith in our nation’s tax system, honest taxpayers need to be reassured that IRS Criminal Investigation is diligent when it comes to enforcing the tax laws, such as Howard’s attempt to underreport his income,” she said,
As for Canada, well, it was out of Dever’s jurisdiction and would therefore have to swallow the bitter truth that one man was able to deprive Canadian taxpayers of $600 million in tax revenues by successfully smuggling millions of kilos of cigarette-ready cut-rag into Canada.
And there was no one on our side of the border who stopped him.
markbonokoski@gmail.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Mark Bonokoski
Publishing date:Jun 05, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • 33 Comments
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
Article content
There is a network of bandits running the U.S.-Canada border with tonnes of contraband cut-rag tobacco destined for illicit cigarette manufacturers on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford and Quebec’s Kahnawake near Montreal.
The public sees the “victimless crime” of cheap smokes selling for $4 a pack rather than legit cigarettes at the local convenience store costing upwards of $18, with more than 70% of the sticker price being taxes.
What the public doesn’t see, however, is these tonnes of machine-ready tobacco costing us multi-millions in lost tax revenues that, for example, could go a long way towards mending a goodly portion of the health care system.
Take one man. Yes, one man.
Phil Howard, 55, of Pink Hill, N.C., was recently sentenced to almost seven years in prison for smuggling cut-rag into Canada via the Akwesasne reserve on Cornwall Island at Cornwall, Ont. The island’s unique in that it straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and the United States, making it a hot zone for smuggling.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The amount of tobacco Howard smuggled into Canada over the years is staggering, with a court in Raleigh, N.C. being told the tax loss to Canada totalled $600 million.
That’s not a typo — Six hundred million dollars in tax losses to Canada alone. And via just one man running contraband tobacco.
Our federal and provincial politicians, however, basically just let it happen because they don’t know how to play a cat-and-mouse game and won’t invest serious money in the special law enforcement and border-authority units that can.
Prosecutors in North Carolina got Howard much like they once got Al Capone. They got him for filing false tax returns and conspiracy to launder money..
Court was told Howard made at least 220 runs from the tobacco belt of Wilson, N.C. — 18-wheelers hauling 53-foot trailers loaded to the hilt with cut-rag tobacco — to the New York portion of Akwesasne or directly into Canada.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
If dropped off in Akwesasne, local smugglers with high-speed boats and night-vision goggles, or sled-drawing snowmobiles in the winter, got the cut-rag across the St. Lawrence River to drop-off areas to be picked up and hauled to Kahnawake or Six Nations.
But it’s like whack-a-mole. One smuggler goes down but others pop up.
As reported in a press release, U.S. District Judge James Dever III also ordered Howard to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,062,192 in restitution for tax losses to the United States and forfeit $2,232,814 as proceeds of his money laundering activity
(In the U.S., tobacco is deemed an agricultural product; in Canada it’s a controlled substance.)
Toronto Sun files
BONOKOSKI: Trudeau-Freeland budget discounts cost of organized crime
the contraband cigarette trade continues to expand unabated.
BONOKOSKI: Budget watchdog points to losses due to illicit smokes
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
“This prosecution demonstrates the far-reach of organized crime and the success of international and multi-district law enforcement cooperation in holding those individuals responsible for their criminal conduct, whether it be obstruction of justice, money laundering, or tax evasion,” said acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker III. “Our office will continue to vigorously pursue the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.”
Then the Internal Revenue Service’s Acting Special Agent Mona Passmore weighed in.
“To build faith in our nation’s tax system, honest taxpayers need to be reassured that IRS Criminal Investigation is diligent when it comes to enforcing the tax laws, such as Howard’s attempt to underreport his income,” she said,
As for Canada, well, it was out of Dever’s jurisdiction and would therefore have to swallow the bitter truth that one man was able to deprive Canadian taxpayers of $600 million in tax revenues by successfully smuggling millions of kilos of cigarette-ready cut-rag into Canada.
And there was no one on our side of the border who stopped him.
markbonokoski@gmail.com
BONOKOSKI: One man rips off Canadian taxpayers for a half-billion
There is a network of bandits running the U.S.-Canada border with tonnes of contraband tobacco destined for illicit cigarette manufacturers.
Guy should get an award for cutting out the government.BONOKOSKI: One man rips off Canadian taxpayers for a half-billion
Author of the article:Mark Bonokoski
Publishing date:Jun 05, 2021 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • 33 Comments
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
A vehicle stop on Hwy. 401 in Napanee in January 2019 led to the seizure of 296 cases of illegal cigarettes packed into a U-Haul truck.
Article content
There is a network of bandits running the U.S.-Canada border with tonnes of contraband cut-rag tobacco destined for illicit cigarette manufacturers on the Six Nations reserve near Brantford and Quebec’s Kahnawake near Montreal.
The public sees the “victimless crime” of cheap smokes selling for $4 a pack rather than legit cigarettes at the local convenience store costing upwards of $18, with more than 70% of the sticker price being taxes.
What the public doesn’t see, however, is these tonnes of machine-ready tobacco costing us multi-millions in lost tax revenues that, for example, could go a long way towards mending a goodly portion of the health care system.
Take one man. Yes, one man.
Phil Howard, 55, of Pink Hill, N.C., was recently sentenced to almost seven years in prison for smuggling cut-rag into Canada via the Akwesasne reserve on Cornwall Island at Cornwall, Ont. The island’s unique in that it straddles the borders of Ontario, Quebec and the United States, making it a hot zone for smuggling.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
The amount of tobacco Howard smuggled into Canada over the years is staggering, with a court in Raleigh, N.C. being told the tax loss to Canada totalled $600 million.
That’s not a typo — Six hundred million dollars in tax losses to Canada alone. And via just one man running contraband tobacco.
Our federal and provincial politicians, however, basically just let it happen because they don’t know how to play a cat-and-mouse game and won’t invest serious money in the special law enforcement and border-authority units that can.
Prosecutors in North Carolina got Howard much like they once got Al Capone. They got him for filing false tax returns and conspiracy to launder money..
Court was told Howard made at least 220 runs from the tobacco belt of Wilson, N.C. — 18-wheelers hauling 53-foot trailers loaded to the hilt with cut-rag tobacco — to the New York portion of Akwesasne or directly into Canada.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
If dropped off in Akwesasne, local smugglers with high-speed boats and night-vision goggles, or sled-drawing snowmobiles in the winter, got the cut-rag across the St. Lawrence River to drop-off areas to be picked up and hauled to Kahnawake or Six Nations.
But it’s like whack-a-mole. One smuggler goes down but others pop up.
As reported in a press release, U.S. District Judge James Dever III also ordered Howard to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,062,192 in restitution for tax losses to the United States and forfeit $2,232,814 as proceeds of his money laundering activity
(In the U.S., tobacco is deemed an agricultural product; in Canada it’s a controlled substance.)
Toronto Sun files
BONOKOSKI: Trudeau-Freeland budget discounts cost of organized crime
the contraband cigarette trade continues to expand unabated.
BONOKOSKI: Budget watchdog points to losses due to illicit smokes
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
“This prosecution demonstrates the far-reach of organized crime and the success of international and multi-district law enforcement cooperation in holding those individuals responsible for their criminal conduct, whether it be obstruction of justice, money laundering, or tax evasion,” said acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker III. “Our office will continue to vigorously pursue the investigation and prosecution of such crimes.”
Then the Internal Revenue Service’s Acting Special Agent Mona Passmore weighed in.
“To build faith in our nation’s tax system, honest taxpayers need to be reassured that IRS Criminal Investigation is diligent when it comes to enforcing the tax laws, such as Howard’s attempt to underreport his income,” she said,
As for Canada, well, it was out of Dever’s jurisdiction and would therefore have to swallow the bitter truth that one man was able to deprive Canadian taxpayers of $600 million in tax revenues by successfully smuggling millions of kilos of cigarette-ready cut-rag into Canada.
And there was no one on our side of the border who stopped him.
markbonokoski@gmail.com
BONOKOSKI: One man rips off Canadian taxpayers for a half-billion
There is a network of bandits running the U.S.-Canada border with tonnes of contraband tobacco destined for illicit cigarette manufacturers.
Disband the G7. Almost as useless as the Commonwealth. Makes me barf that Trudeau considers himself a world leader.
"The nations that are part of G7 include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Of these nations, all seven are top-ranked countries for the highest net wealth per capita, all are leading export countries, and five are on the list of top 10 countries with the largest gold reserves."
"The nations that are part of G7 include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Of these nations, all seven are top-ranked countries for the highest net wealth per capita, all are leading export countries, and five are on the list of top 10 countries with the largest gold reserves."
It sounds racist to me. Too many old white guys.
G7 nations means something to somebody. I recall the millions spent on Canada hosting the event in Toronto with all the extra security and other bs.
For the average guy, RBC will not initiate financial transactions with 5 of the other 6 G7 nations. Funny how the CPPIB is allowed to invest outside North America.
No world policy is being set without China or Russia among others. G7 is a perfect place for big talkers like Trudeau and dummies like Biden. Once again a big expense with no return.
For the average guy, RBC will not initiate financial transactions with 5 of the other 6 G7 nations. Funny how the CPPIB is allowed to invest outside North America.
No world policy is being set without China or Russia among others. G7 is a perfect place for big talkers like Trudeau and dummies like Biden. Once again a big expense with no return.
CPPIB isn't directed, ran or accessible to the Feds. Harper killed the Liberals from raiding CPP and EI funds.
Really I am just guessing who does what. Quick search says:
"The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, operating as CPP Investments, is a Canadian Crown corporation established by way of the 1997 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act to oversee and invest the funds contributed to and held by the Canada Pension Plan."
They were buying shares in Lego land and Madame Tussaults last year. Looking closer it looks like they are in with the Ontario Teachers.
Every which way it all comes from tax dollars.
And it's an arms length entity with no appointed slackers and no govt input.
This link will take you to the SEC and all the investments currently held by CPP: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1283718/000110465921068226/xslForm13F_X01/infotable.xml
They invest in everything under the sun.
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Wealthy Canadian influencer and her boyfriend who killed man and shot his pregnant girlfriend causing her to lose her baby have been arrested in Budapest after three-month manhunt
- Oliver Karafa, 28, and Yun 'Lucy' Lu Li, 25, arrested in Budapest by Hungarian police on Saturday
- Karafa and Li face first-degree murder and attempted murder charges for February shooting in Hamilton, Canada, that killed Tyler Pratt, 39
- Pratt's 26-year-old pregnant fiancée was hit by gunfire and lost her unborn baby
- Police said suspects and victims knew each other, but would not say how
- Karafa and Li allegedly fled to Eastern Europe within 24 hours of the shooting, traveling through man's native Slovakia and Czech Republic
- Li’s mother, Hong Wei 'Winnie' Liao, is president of the Toronto-based asset management firm Respon International Group
- Karafa served five years in prison for causing a fatal DUI crash in 2012
PUBLISHED: 17:55 EDT, 15 June 2021 | UPDATED: 19:49 EDT, 15 June 2021
Not tax dollars. Thei is contributions to pension plan that both you and your employer make.Don't confuse CPP with OAP.
What I meant was that the teachers were originally employed by the school system which is a big expense to taxpayers to the tune of $25 billion annually in Ontario alone. So without the employment there is no Teachers fund to invest.
Beyond me where the CPPIB has any money to invest given the state of Canada's finances. I also question whether the money raised under certain programs is only used by those programs. I seem to recall a general revenue slush fund from years ago that gobbled unused dollars (as if there are any of those left).