We always knew he was the most disgusting bully this country has ever seen.
We knew that he was using Revenue Canada to try to intimidate his political opponents.
Or anyone who disagreed with the foul policies of his depraved regime.
And now that monstrous political thug is going after Pen Canada.
The Canada Revenue Agency has launched a political-activities audit of Pen Canada, a small charity promoting freedom of expression that has criticized the Harper government in the past.
For the "crime" of being too decent and too Canadian.
Pen Canada represents more than 1,000 writers and supporters, including Canadian literary luminaries Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel, and presses for freedom of expression at home and abroad.
The group has been highly critical of the Harper government in recent years for the muzzling of scientists on the public payroll, and for alleged spying on Canadian citizens in concert with U.S. eavesdropping agencies.
Like all these other groups.
And all I can say is that this assault on Pen Canada is the work of a bully and a tyrant.
His shameless collaborators at Revenue Canada must think we are fools.
The Canada Revenue Agency says its work is conducted without political direction from government. “The process for identifying which charities will be audited, for any reason, is handled by the (charities) directorate itself and is not subject to political direction,” the director general of the directorate, Cathy Hawara, told a Canadian Bar Association group in May.
All I can say is good for Pen Canada's president Philip Slayton.
“I refuse to let it have a chilling effect on us,” said Slayton. “We are not going to have some kind of fear — about having our charitable status questioned by authorities — stop us speaking out on issues.”
For having the courage to defy the tyrant, in a country where so many live on their knees.
And of course, only add what should be obvious:
This Canada will not be safe or free.
Until this monstrous totalitarian regime is defeated.
And this bully thug is democratically audited.
And sent to the place he belongs...
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In 2012 Harper budgeted $8M for Revenue Canada to "audit" charities and churches to see if they adhered to the rules of spending no more than 10% of their budget on "political activities". Then in this budget it was upped to $13M. Since then they have audited 50 organizations including Amnesty International, Canada. Where do we see governments go after Amnesty International? Countries that need their services. We are one of those countries.
ReplyDelete. The tiny Pen organization has a budget of about $237K a yr and one or two staffers. Stevie must be feeling real threatened by them. of course they are writers and they do advocate for freedom of speech in Canada and abroad. I would suggest its a good thing you and some of the rest of us do not "enjoy" charitable status.
Harper and his herd went after the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, but we are still waiting for them to have a go at the Fraser Institute. He had them audit Canada without Poverty. yes harper and his herd have $13 Million for all of that, but not a nickel for veterans who need better pensions and medical care.
Harper and his herd started by defunding women's groups and have been destroying our democracy ever since. No one is too big or too small. They guy is no better than Putin, but hey give him a couple of more years.
A bully is as a bully does.
ReplyDeletePen Canada = Political Poison Pen = Lost charitable status!
ReplyDeleteDidn't know Pen Canada or their work until now. Thanks Steve, I just sent them some money. I know they must deserve it if you are suppressing them.
ReplyDeletehttp://pencanada.ca/act/donations/
The Cons have also gone after COPIAN:
ReplyDeletehttp://harperwatch.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/harper-watch-july-1-to-july-18-2014/
The Star - Mainstay of Canada’s literacy movement topples: Goar, A sad farewell note is all that remains of Copian.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/07/03/mainstay_of_canadas_literacy_movement_topples_goar.html
Read the comments at:
http://copian.ca/federal-literacy-funding
https://twitter.com/hashtag/bringbackcopian
http://copian.ca/about_copian
If the Cons have already shut down libraries, scientific research that doesn't fit with their agenda, and allowed books to be burned,
Canadian libricide: Tories torch and dump centuries of priceless,
irreplaceable environmental archives
http://boingboing.net/2014/01/04/canadian-libraricide-tories-t.html
why should we be surprised at the shutting down of COPIAN?
Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education (CASAE). (2014, June).
Re: Current reforms to adult literacy in Canada [open letter to ESDC Minister Jason Kenney.)
http://www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca/sites/default/files/CASAEletterKenney.pdf
First Pen Canada and then it's the CBC.... as purveyors of lefty political propaganda. Guilty...!!!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone observe the babbling authoritarian hypocrite.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCorrect link:
DeleteVIEW: Is PEN the latest target of Harper's selective tax audits?
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2014/07/24/PEN-CRA-Audit/
In the Aug. 2 letters section of the Toronto Star (Charities chill is vintage Harper)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2014/08/02/charities_chill_is_vintage_harper.html