Good Intentions Makes for Bad Law or Tax

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, no longer content to slander just dogs, comes out to muse with another horrendously bad scheme. The Globe and Mail obliges by putting it in print:

Ottawa -- Dual citizenship could soon come with a price tag, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said yesterday.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada is considering whether to impose new conditions on Canadians living outside the country who want to keep their Canadian passport, Mr. MacKay told a Senate committee. One option being studied involves taxing Canadian citizens living abroad.

Mr. MacKay made the comments shortly after he detailed the costly evacuation of 15,000 Canadians from war-torn Lebanon this summer. That operation will cost taxpayers about $80-million, the minister estimated.

I realize that many a Canadian was all in a tizzy over last year’s evacuation of Canadian nationals from Lebanon but - get a grip people. It was a war zone. It rarely happens nor is it likely to be semi-annual event going forward in the future. If the government was really concerned about recouping the cost of the evacuations here are three quick and easy solutions. 1. Bill the evacuees directly, 2. Cancel the CBC’s funding. 3. Dismantle the gun registry. And viola, bill gone.

But taxing dual citizens to maintain their Canadian passport? This is a singularly bad idea. Stop for a moment and consider a dual Canadian-American student who is offered a scholarship to a US university. Do you really want to propose that we tax the student if they chose to accept the scholarship? Do you really think that will make them want to come back and create/share the fruits of their labour with us. How about the Snowbirds?

I could go on, but what this is – is an excuse to post-pone what the real debate should be about in this country which is namely; how and why Canadian citizenship has become so devalued. This is where real political leadership needs to be shown.

Currently, all one has to do to become a citizen is live here permanently for three years “crime” free, take a marginal test, pay the fee and swear out an oath of loyalty. Just maybe, its time to be a little more discriminating on who is actually eligible for citizenship and then eliminate the slacker’s path to citizenship.