SpankyMcFarland
-
Posts
4,333 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
3
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by SpankyMcFarland
-
-
Interesting document in the Marshall case from CBC:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2303934-2015-03-09-xx-peter-marshall-cooper-notice-of.html
Mr. Marshall senior seems to have moved first to the US for a brief period and then to Canada.
-
For many years, South Africa has had strict controls on moving assets abroad and yet this family have 25 million to throw around. This story has legs, I think. It's an old tale, of course, that should embarrass both Liberals and Conservatives but the delay of years in getting something done here should become an issue in the current campaign. These days, CRA seems to be tougher on bird watchers than the big fish.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/revenue-canada-targets-birdwatchers-for-political-activity-1.2799546
-
The professional corporations can be a bit of a scam in Canada. For example, many hospital specialists do not have large overheads and can employ their families in their enterprises. These people are not entrepreneurs in any sense - there is virtually no risk of their customers going elsewhere. In my experience, the only docs with such corporations who went bust were guys who decided to stop paying CRA entirely for years.
-
there is no such thing as tax fairness. Especially when anyone above 120 000$ a year can probably move to a different country and take his money with him.
Go ahead. Not as easy as it seems.
-
Thanks very much for that suggestion, Big Guy. I looked up a few links and it is intriguing although I would probably prefer bigger places - ideally, indoor tennis would be close by. I am considering options along the Windsor/Ottawa axis. Ontario tends to flat or, at best, bumpy. Scenically, the Eastern Townships are more my kind of place but French would be a problem. BC would be even better in that mountainy regard but it is too remote from family and friends. I have relatives in Detroit which might make the southern end of that shore a good place to be.
-
I'll second that. Look at the North Shore of Lake Erie.
I looked up a few links and it is intriguing although I would probably prefer bigger places - ideally, indoor tennis would be close by. I am considering options along the Windsor/Ottawa axis. Ontario tends to flat or, at best, bumpy. Scenically, the Eastern Townships are more my kind of place but French would be a problem. BC would be even better in that mountainy regard but it is too remote from family and friends.
I have relatives in Detroit which might make the southern end of that shore a good place to be.
-
New quarterly poll out today by CRA. Liberals are at 48%, PCs at 27%, and NDP at 25%. Undecideds also up. While the Liberals still dominate they've had a sizeable drop over the last year. In November 2014, they had the support of 60%. The NDP have been the beneficiary as they were at 10% then. This is also the first time since 2013 - following the NDP caucus revolt - that the Liberals have fallen below 50% in a poll conducted by CRA. Luckily for the their two main opponents are splitting the remainder of the vote.
I wonder how often has the NDP share been that big in NL polling history? Does it affect the Liberals more? The Lib/PC divide here does not seem based on left/right issues.
-
Really? When Trudeau traveled across the country by train western farmers pelted his train with fruit and vegetables. When it got into northern Ontario, the people in Sudbury pelted it with rocks. He was loathed in much of the country.And I clearly remember Trudeau's government deliberately pitting different parts of the country against each other.
Trudeau is a good example, actually. He is the last PM who divided the country as bitterly as Harper has done.
-
Did you see poor old Rob Nicholson hiding from reporters today? Our Foreign Affairs minister. Sad.
-
Why should anybody be charged for possessing marijuana for personal use? One is too many.
-
I am thinking of moving to Southern Ontario eventually to warm up my weary bones so this thread is of personal interest. Many of my friends live in Toronto and love it there. I find it too fast, too crowded and with way too much traffic and concrete. The subway is inadequate, the parks are nothing to write home about and Harbourfront is horribly overbuilt. The thought of living in one of the 'suburban' tower blocks farther out is deeply depressing - Paris with les banlieues and none of the sights. The price of real estate is crazy too which also puts me off relatively benign places like Burlington as well. I am thinking Ottawa might be a better place to live in - more hills, more history, more geezer friendly, lower prices. Am I correct?
-
Firstly, Harper promised more open government. On this count, he has utterly failed, has he not? And a person who has failed so badly over a decade does not deserve any more time. The other parties deserve a chance to do better.What you don't seem to understand is our political/media process is designed to select autocrats because leaders that allow dissenting opinions are immediately branded as 'weak' by the media or worse the party gets tarred because a single MP goes off message.If you don't like autocrats then you need to think about how you directly contributes to a culture where only autocrats by judging leaders by how they appear in the media .
Secondly, it is obvious to many in the British Isles and Canada that the Westminster system is no longer fit for purpose as currently constructed. This is not just a Harper or Canadian problem - it occurs across the world. The legislature has ceased to function in the manner it was supposed to. I am surprised there is not a larger international conversation on this matter. Here, for example, are Michael McDowell's suggestions for reform of the Irish parliament, called the Dail. The Ceann Comhairle is the Speaker. Even the discussion of abolishing the Seanad (Senate) would be familiar to Canadian readers:
And here is Andrew Coyne's take on our predicament:
Democracy is messy and takes up time. The independence of MPs and their committees must be re-established.
Fair play to Trudeau for naming his dad last night as the man who started us on the current downward slide to PMO control of parliament.
-
I don't like Harper either, but Chretien had the same autocratic tendencies, and so does Mulcair. And Mulcair will have to clamp down HARD on a caucus full of newbies, many of whom are wild eyed, anti-capitalist zealots who won't be happy if he doesn't start punishing big business, the oil industry and rich people. I also expect huge tax increases under Mulcair.
I think Harper is worse than any of them. His control of the caucus shown that. The lack of a Deputy PM shows that. He does not like dissent or debate. The details of the Duffy trial - it all adds up to paint a picture of an autocrat.
-
Andrew Coyne/NP had an interesting article a while back speculating on the lengths Harper might go to in attempts to retain power... to snatch victory from defeat!: It isn’t just the election results that are impossible to predict — it’s what happens after
based on his interview with CBC's Mansbridge, it appears he'll take his 'walk in the snow'... after all!
We should not have to depend on verbal undertakings by the PM that he will not carry without a plurality of seats. What happens after an election needs to be explicitly defined so that a losing government has to relinquish power.
-
Mansbridge is too nice with these people, judging from the Harper interview. I'd like to have seen Terry Milewski give them a proper going over.
-
And how many went to jail? The fact that you are obviously outraged enough just proves my point.
That's what a wedge issue is; Political parties take a menial issue like this and prop it up in hopes that weak minded individuals will forget about economy, taxes, crime, job creation etc etc. and focus on something so utterly ridiculous like marijuana and vote for them.
Having a criminal record is a serious problem in many careers.
-
And the NDP is now a capitalist loving centrist party opposed to tax increases on the rich or deficit spending and in favour of more military spending. Because of one man. And nobody in the NDP is complaining. Because they don't dare.
The level of control exerted by Harper on his MPs is greater than any other PM in recent history. That's not even up for debate beyond the Conservative bubble. He has no Deputy PM and no serious rivals in the party after ten years in office. Just compare that to the previous administration or the current govt in Britain.
-
This seems an odd reason to evict Harper. Most of the election victories in the last century have failed to command a plurality of the votes.
It's not odd when they are running for a fourth term which is very unusual. Harper is the most divisive PM in recent history. His campaign is aimed at 40% max of the population and the rest he rejects as not worth talking to. Such a person is peculiarly unsuited for a fourth term.
With Mansbridge, he made a big deal of not continuing on if he didn't get a plurality of seats. A person as negative as he is should not be allowed continue on unless he has a majority of the seats. The other parties should vote him down and any leader who refuses to do so should be replaced.
-
OK...so what's more important...business, holidays, and relatives...or possession of dope ? Seems like an easy decision to me.
So if they brought a law in outlawing alcohol, you would apply the same logic? The law is nonsense on both sides of the border. Some people, mainly poorer people, are getting criminal records for an activity that is ubiquitous. In BC, the law has broken down, is widely ignored by the police and Harper is doing nothing about that because he knows he would lose votes if he does.
By any health measure, marijuana is safer than alcohol and causes far fewer social problems. Continuing with these laws makes no sense to reasonable people on either side of the border. The majority of Canadians want decriminalization at least.
-
And if we take Assad out then who?
No idea.
-
Why is it so important to be admitted to the US ? Does the US have better dope ?
Business, holidays, relatives.
-
Iran is not Arab, although it has an Arab minority. That's a straightforward error. The Saudis and Gulf states have a tacit alliance with Israel against Iran at the moment, so the approach of Arabs and Iranians could not be more different right now
-
Well thats an intelligent way to look at things. Who cares about what the party's policies are or what damage the other parties can do to Canada, as long as the PM is someone you think is pretty.I guarantee you that everything you loath about Harper will be exactly the same in Mulcair.
People in the Conservative bubble just can't see how alienating Harper is. I don't believe Mulcair will be as bad. And it is Harper's policies that make me feel this way.
I have voted both PC and Liberal so I am not a left wing voter at all. Harper's autocratic tendencies are deeply disturbing to me.
-
somebody got put in jail in Canada for smoking pot?
When was that?
Really, who gives a shit in 2015?
We just wasted 45 pages and some brain cells on a non-topic.
Surely, being charged with possession, not even convicted, can stop you being admitted to the US? So it is a topic for any of us that travel.
Tax Fairness in Canada
in Federal Politics in Canada
Posted
Sorry, Cooper. Marshall sounds like a surname. Yes, the probability that young Mr. Cooper was entirely ignorant of the family trust and tax arrangements is kinda small. Given that this case involves KPMG, Canada and rich people, we may have to wait a while for any justice to trickle down.
And I can't blame Steve alone. The Libs are at least as much to blame for guys like this.