Check It Out: Government proposals for our benefit and safety?

By Joan Janzen

A cartoon showed a patient in a doctor’s office. “Doc, I broke my leg in three places,” the patient said. The doctor responded, “Well then, don’t go to those three places.”

Likewise, government proposals (supposedly for our safety and benefit) are causing Canadians to respond by saying, “Don’t go there.” One example is a pilot project proposed by the Canadian Revenue Association (CRA).

Franco Terrazzano, National Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), spoke to True North about a new pilot project whereby the CRA wants to make your life easier by automatically filing taxes on your behalf. They claim Canadians are missing out on benefits they could receive, but Franco suggested otherwise. “It’s all about power and tax grabs,” he observed.

There are already free tax clinics available. However, in 2020, the CRA introduced free automatic tax filing for simple tax files as a convenience for taxpayers. In 2023, it quietly expanded its power to offer calculating and filing taxes automatically. Franco noted that this is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

First of all, it’s a conflict of interest when a tax collector also serves as a tax filer. “The government is broke, and the CRA wants to squeeze every penny from you,” he said. “But you want to keep as much of your own money as possible. Your accountant works for you, but the CRA works for the government,” he added.

Another valid point Franco made was, “The CRA is already really bad at its job, so good luck getting them on the phone when they make a mistake. You’ll have to hire an accountant to correct the CRA’s mistakes,” he advised.

In addition, Franco warned that the CRA should not be given more power. Remember when CRA workers went on strike last year during tax season? The more power they’re given, the more leverage union bosses will have during times of negotiation when they can disrupt tax filing.

You can be sure the CRA will expand to automate tax filing, in spite of currently having one staff member for every 700 Canadians. Compare this with the United States, which has one IRS staff member for every 4,000 citizens. Since 2018, the CRA has hired nearly 18,000 new employees, totaling 60,000 agents.

Franco suggested an alternate solution: simplify the tax code so Canadians don’t need to hire someone to navigate the tax system. Meanwhile the CTF is alerting Canadians so they can push back on the CRA’s proposed power grab.

David Krayden is also getting the word out on his online program, regarding Bill C-293. Under the guise of safety precautions, Bill C-293 is an act to allow the federal government to have the power to have public health officials shut down livestock operations and meat processing plants during a pandemic.

The bill reads: “Regulate commercial activities that can contribute to pandemic risk, including industrial animal agriculture, and promote commercial activities that can help reduce pandemic risk, including the production of alternative proteins, and phase out commercial activities that disproportionately contribute to pandemic risk, including activities that involve high-risk species.”

David Krayden said, “This is not about making Canadians safer,” and encouraged Canadians to contact their senators, advising them not to pass this bill. It would effectively disrupt meat supply chains and agricultural operations such as feed production.

But be assured the government continues to prioritize the safety of Canadians. According to a True North article written by Isaac Lamoureux, the Prime Minister claims that the government’s handgun freeze has enhanced public safety. However, the article reports Toronto has seen a 45% increase in shootings and a 62% increase in gun-related homicides compared to last year.

The Toronto Police Assoc. reported that 85% percent of guns seized can be sourced to the US, and former police officer Ron Chhinzer said he hadn’t seized a lawfully owned firearm from a criminal during his entire career. The Surrey Police Union reported the handgun freeze fails to address the surge of illegal firearms coming across our borders and ending up in the hands of violent criminals.

According to the CTF, the government has spent $67 million on its buy-back scheme without buying a single gun. The ban resulted in weapons retailers being left with inventory they need to store securely until the program launches after being postponed until October 2025. Federal officials have decided Canada Post will be the least costly and most efficient avenue to recover these banned weapons.

Canadians are also continually being reminded of the benefits of the carbon tax. According to Franco, “The federal government is getting so desperate it is spending $7 million of our tax dollars on ads to spin Canadians about the benefits of the carbon tax.”

All these combined Bills, proposals and programs designed for our safety and well-being are proving to be costly, ineffective and potentially harmful. So maybe we should take the doctor’s advice and “don’t go there.”