Cdn-Firearms Digest Wednesday, May 28 2008 Volume 11 : Number 476 In this issue: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow Ottawa Sun: Close gun import loophole, AG urges Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 13:49:35 -0400 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Med Crotteau" To: Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 1:21 PM Subject: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow > Anyone who is genuinely interested in the American power base, should read > a Book Titled, "None dare call it a Conspiracy." > > North America is run by a select group of People. It's that simple. Its called the 'shadow government " Ed Bratt probably knows MORE about this than anybody else... ed/on > > MED > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Roger" > To: > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 9:44 AM > Subject: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow > > >>> Subject: Botleggers today, president tomorrow >> (This might not be specifically "firearms" related, but it certainly >> reflects the corruption of our government.) >> [EDIT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, May 28, 2008 10:56 am From: "Breitkreuz, Garry - Assistant 2" Subject: Ottawa Sun: Close gun import loophole, AG urges NOTE: A shorter version of this article also appeared in the Toronto Sun. PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun DATE: 2008.05.28 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 26 BYLINE: JONATHAN JENKINS, QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU DATELINE: TORONTO WORD COUNT: 279 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Close gun import loophole, AG urges - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gun frames and receivers -- key building blocks that can easily be turned into deadly handguns -- are being waltzed across the border without breaking any laws, something Ontario's Attorney General says must stop. "These are the foundations of the guns," Chris Bentley said yesterday. "You can import them, apparently without any restriction or regulation because of a loophole in the law, and then quickly adapt them, with parts you can obtain from Ontario, to make them fire." Bentley and his cabinet mate, Rick Bartolucci, the minister of community safety and corrections, said they have written to federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, asking for the loophole to be closed. They also want Day to enact rules calling for all guns made in, or imported to, the country be marked for easy identification and for federal prosecutors to be added to the Toronto Gun and Gang Task Force, which already includes provincial Crown attorneys. Bentley said they wrote the letter two months ago, after Day asked them for suggestions on tightening the border to gun traffic and smuggling, widely believed to be the source of most of the guns used in crimes on Toronto streets. "They're really easy to do," Bentley said of the three suggestions. "They are basically, pretty much a no-cost option. "I'm quite hopeful we'll get a positive response from the federal government because he (Day) did ask us for suggestions." The provincial government, along with Toronto Mayor David Miller, have long called for a total ban on handguns, a request the federal government has rebuffed. "At the end of the day we need the national government to show some interest in a national problem. Show national leadership -- ban handguns," Bentley said. BAN NOT THE ANSWER Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said the three suggestions might help in small ways, but the key is to tighten the border to gun smuggling and increase the penalties for those caught doing it. Banning guns, Tory said, is not the answer. "I've always felt that a handgun ban is not going to be effective," he said. "People who want to have illegal guns aren't registering them, they're not abiding by the laws anyway." - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL DATE: 2008.05.28 PAGE: A11 BYLINE: TIMOTHY APPLEBY SECTION: Toronto News EDITION: Metro WORD COUNT: 142 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN BRIEF Province asks Ottawa to change gun ID rules - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timothy Appleby Ontario Attorney-General Chris Bentley is urging Ottawa to implement regulations requiring all legally imported firearms to be marked with the names of the importer and the manufacturer, along with the date of the gun's arrival in Canada. Police have long said the information - standard in the United States for all imported guns - would help trace the source of firearms used in crime, many of which are stolen in burglaries, and thwart gun-smuggling rings. There are approximately 194,000 legally registered handguns in Ontario, about 1,000 of which have been stolen and are unaccounted for. Mr. Bentley also wants the possession of all handgun parts to be regulated and called for federal prosecutors to be assigned to the province's Guns and Gangs task force. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 11:21:36 -0600 From: Med Crotteau Subject: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow Anyone who is genuinely interested in the American power base, should read a Book Titled, "None dare call it a Conspiracy." North America is run by a select group of People. It's that simple. MED - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger" To: Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 9:44 AM Subject: Re: Botleggers today, president tomorrow >> Subject: Botleggers today, president tomorrow > (This might not be specifically "firearms" related, but it certainly > reflects the corruption of our government.) > >>> Brian Mulroney gave Bronfman the OK to move his billions from Canada to >>> either Bermuda or the Bahamas while he was Prime Minister, without >>> paying >>> a departure tax. > > The Bronfman's moved a 2.2 Billion dollar trust out of Canada, and was > allowed to do so without paying almost 800 million in Taxes. This waiver > of > taxes was done at the last moment, apparently in a secret meeting. I > remember George Harris loudly bringing this to the medias attention for > years. > ========================================= > http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/00/08/FinancialPost050800.html > > The Financial Post > Ottawa, August 5, 2000 > > Ottawa tries to cover up who's behind the $800M tax waiver > > Revenue Canada manoeuvre may nix a trial > > By DIANE FRANCIS > > > Ottawa's latest legal action involving a citizen's attempt to force > Revenue > Canada to collect taxes from a wealthy family smacks of a cover-up. > > Just a few days ago, Ottawa used its legal muscle to postpone a trial into > the merits, and players, involved in the controversial tax-free transfer > in > 1991 of a mysterious $2.2-billion trust to the United States on behalf of > a > wealthy and unknown family [the Bronfman family]. A tax waiver was > granted, > saving the family up to $800-million in taxes. > > "This is terribly unfair to other Canadians paying substantial taxes," > said > George Harris, a Winnipeg office manager who is suing the government over > this matter. > > Unfortunately, time is running out because the waiver cannot be reversed > after the end of 2001, or just 17 months from now. And the latest > manoeuvre > by Revenue Canada's hired legal guns is to postpone the trial and ask the > Supreme Court of Canada to rule on whether a taxpayer citizen can sue over > somebody's else's tax dodge. > > Already two courts -- a lower and an appeal -- have ruled that a trial > should be held into the merits of this questionable transfer. If the > Supreme > Court agrees to take the case, the trial will probably never be held > before > the deadline, no matter who wins. > > And no trial means a cover-up, because the identities of the people > involved -- both the family and the civil servants -- will never be known > or > have to answer for their decision. > > The citizen involved is George Harris, a Winnipeg office manager, who > became > upset when he read about the transfer in the 1996 auditor-general's > report. > He and his friends collected money to sue. > > The auditor-general was clear that this was a breach. > > "In our view, the transactions ruled on may have circumvented the intent > of > the law regarding the taxation of capital gains. We are concerned about > the > lack of documentation and analysis of key decisions made by the department > and the potential impact of those decisions," the auditor-general's report > said. > > Equally outraged by what happened was the first judge who heard the case > and > wrote: > > "Mr. Harris brings this action on behalf of his fellow taxpayers, except > the > favoured few, for the few will never be heard of to complain of the > official > favouritism. The fair-minded, objective observer must surely smell grave > maladministration." > > The transfer permission was granted in 1991 during the tenure of Prime > Minister Brian Mulroney and speculation is that it involves a branch of > the > Bronfman family. Such decisions are usually published in tax journals, but > not in this case. > > The Liberals, also close to Bronfman are not blameless either. The > transfer > was not made public until 1996, three years after the election of Prime > Minister Jean Chretien. Even more interesting is that the so-called > loophole > in the law, through which this family drove its fortune out of the country > tax-free, was not closed by Paul Martin, the Finance Minister, until > October, 1996 -- four months after the federal auditor-general cited the > transfer as irregular. > > "It doesn't matter who the family is," said Mr. Harris in an interview > with > me last year. "I'm suing Revenue Canada over the issue and there may be > other incidences and families we don't know about." > > What does matter is that Revenue Canada is covering up itself, with our > tax > dollars spent on legal fees. This is strange behaviour for a government > department whose job it is to maximize tax-collection and who should also > not be frightened of transparency in a democracy with the rule of law. > > The auditor-general also noted in his 1996 report that Revenue Canada did > a > flip-flop on this transfer. It had already refused to let the trust be > transferred tax-free and then reversed its decision the same day without > explanation. When asked by the auditor for details, the department said it > was unable to reveal the names of civil servants who met secretly on > several > occasions to permit this dramatic loss of tax revenue. The department also > told the auditor there were *no minutes* kept of the meetings. > > This is unacceptable in a democracy and we may never know what went on and > who's responsible if the latest legal manoeuvre works. > > As Mr. Harris has observed: "Mystery individuals are making these > decisions. > Estimates vary up to $700-million or more in forgone taxes. We don't know > for sure. And the federal government has done nothing about this. If there > was several hundred million of federal money squandered on building a road > between two communities there would be issues raised by Ottawa if it > involved federal funding." > > "Who was in the meetings will come out in court," said Mr. Harris. "The > auditor-general pointed out that this [decision] was suspicious because > the > meetings took place and the decision was completely opposite at the end of > the day. Once we find out who was in the meetings, the court could ask > them > for a statement. These were Revenue Canada officials, senior bureaucrats, > not politicians per se. We want to know who was there on the Revenue > side." > > Mr. Harris is fighting the stalling technique in court. > > And he's right to do so. Taxpayers deserve answers. Revenue Canada must be > scrutinized. Parliament should conduct hearings if the trial is never > held. > ========================================== >>>Thanks for reminding me about the Bronfman tax deal , I remember now that >>>there was a big kerfuffle in parliament and then it was swept under the >>>rug >>>BUT they apparently changed the law so that the little guy couldn't do >>>the >>>same thing ~! Money talks bull**it walks. > ========================================== > > Wasn't it Paul Martin that had *his* entire fleet of Ships flying Bermuda? > or Bahamas flags? so he didn't have to pay taxes, or reduce them to > insignificance? > > I guess our masters figure that taxes are for the peasants, not the > wealthy > or connected. Do as I say, not as I do! This is typical behavior from > those > in a position of power that think they are above the law that the masses > are > subject to. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V11 #476 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:drg.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)