Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Canadian Taxpayers Federation to Announce Waste Awards

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) will host its 15th annual Teddies Waste Awards black tie ceremony in the Charles Lynch Press Theatre on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, tomorrow, March 6th, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. Like the past three years, the ceremony will run between 8 and 10 minutes.

Budget Predictions

With the province’s budget about to come down in early March, it’s time to read the entrails of what Albertans can expect this year, and next. Since it became apparent in September that the government’s election commitments were worth as much as Nortel stock, the Tories have dropped many hints and have been busily spinning away at public opinion. Combined with the hard numbers, the government’s hints allow at least some prediction of what to expect.

Third Handout to Political Parties Unacceptable

When you think of priorities for how your tax dollars are spent, what comes to mind?

Time to Drag Senators - And MPs - Into the 21st Century

Now that Senator Mike Duffy has agreed to pay back his $42,000 housing allowance, it's time for Canadians to put some heat on all Senators and Members of Parliament to come clean about how they spend taxpayer dollars. And it's time to ditch the housing allowance all together and relax current residency requirements for Senators.

CTF Exposes High Income Earners in Social Housing

CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) today showing that medium-to-high income earners are using taxpayer-subsidized social housing intended for the poor. The CTF filed the FOI with Heart River Housing (HRH) after an anonymous whistler blower came forward.

ON: Fat Tax Falls Flat

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) renewed their call recently for extreme measures to battle obesity. If the OMA had it their way, Ontarians would be paying a fat and sugar tax on all foods they deem ‘unhealthy.’ We fortunately know from the experience in Denmark what would happen if fat taxes were implemented in Ontario. In 2011, Denmark introduced a fat tax aimed to reduce the consumption of ‘unhealthy’ foods, improve general health, and to be used as a revenue tool to fund a financially strapped government. The tax did accomplish its goal of raising revenue, but the unintended consequences led to its near unanimous abolishment by the Danish Parliament.

Hands Off Your Ratepayer Dollars

Imagine watching the person working at your local SGI retailer take $50 from the pile of money you just laid on the counter and walk it over to the office of provincial Finance Minister Ken Krawetz.

B.C.‘s Balanced Budget 2013: A Hat Trick of Tax Hikes

• MSP health care tax up for the sixth time in five years

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) warned that higher taxes are on the way for B.C. families and businesses as the B.C. government introduced their 2013-14 provincial budget today.

How Alberta Came to the Cliff of Debt and Tax Hikes

Alberta did not get to a state of massive, structural deficits by accident or without warning. The writing was on the wall that unsustainable spending increases before the recession of 2008 plunged Alberta into deficit, even had there not been a drop in revenues. The signs were clear after recovering from the recession that without major fiscal adjustments, Alberta would remain in a deficit position.

New Boss Clark A Lot Like Old Boss Campbell

When Christy Clark took over as Premier of British Columbia two years ago, she had a window of opportunity to change taxpayers’ perceptions of her government.

Your Money, Their Quarter Billion Dollar Secret

Manitoba Hydro is owned by the people of Manitoba. So shouldn’t Manitoba Hydro have to be accountable to the people? Should it really be allowed to spend $223,531,822.71 and not tell you?

ON: Wynne’s Balanced Budget Promise Requires Action

Dalton McGuinty pulled the plug on a dysfunctional government last October. For a government that adds $53.5 million each day to the provincial debt and is leaving Ontario taxpayers with an incomprehensible $255 billion debt, dysfunctional is putting it nicely.

CTF Names New Queen’s Park Watchdog

TORONTO/EDMONTON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Candice Malcolm as the CTF’s new provincial communications director and spokesperson for the province of Ontario.

Chief Redman Needs to Pack It In

Get out the hook because it's time to pull another chief from office. We're talking about the Standing Buffalo First Nation, a community of less than 500 people located not far from Regina. Incredibly, the chief from the small community made more than Prime Minister Harper in 2011-12.

Metro and TransLink Make Compelling Case Against Regional Policing

Forget the parochial concerns of local mayors. The greatest argument against a regional police force is the performance of Greater Vancouver’s two existing regional agencies – TransLink and Metro Vancouver.

Explosive on a Plane not Transit Police Officer’s Only Blunder

• Transit Police dog had to receive veterinary care to recover from cop’s poor treatment
• Explosive-forgetting Transit Police officer faced dismissal for deceit, neglect of duty and corrupt practice for mistreating his dog, taking a police vehicle across the border and deception in his reports

VANCOUVER, B.C.: Two weeks after the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) brought attention to a Transit Police incident where an explosive was forgotten on a passenger jetliner during a dog training exercise, Transit Police have admitted that the officer didn’t leave the force because of that blunder – he left because he faced discipline for deceit, neglect of duty and corrupt practice.“This Transit Police officer not only forgot an explosive on a plane, he took his police vehicle across the U.S. border three times without permission, lied in his duty records, and, worst of all, mistreated his police dog,” said Jordan Bateman, CTF B.C. Director. “That police dog had to receive veterinary care to bring it back to proper health – a fact the Transit Police has kept from the public for more than two years. What else are they hiding from the taxpayers?”

Sask Chief’s Pay Higher Than Thought

• Documents show Standing Buffalo Chief Roger Redman's pay higher than previously thought; he received funds from FSIN and Battlefords Tribal Chiefs Inc; total pay higher than Prime Minister Stepeh Harper in 2011

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released documents today showing the chief of the Standing Buffalo First Nation in Saskatchewan (443 people) made more than previously thought.

$223,531,822.71 Secret Is Unacceptable

WINNIPEG, MB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) announced today it lost an appeal with the Provincial Ombudsman over Manitoba Hydro’s refusal to disclose details for $223,531,822.71 worth of expenses on legal and consulting costs for northern Manitoba dams.

CTF Presents Balanced Budget Plan to Horner

• Estimates $4.8 billion deficit and Sustainability Fund gone by January 2014

EDMONTON, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released its plan for a balanced budget today as Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt met with Finance Minister Doug Horner. The plan, Restoring the Alberta Advantage lays out $3.8 billion in areas for the government to cut in order for the Premier to keep her election commitment to balance the budget by the end of 2013-14 without raising taxes.

Canada’s EI surplus: now you see it, now you don’t

Now that you’ve likely seen a couple of pay stubs in 2013, you may have noticed that your employer is deducting more than they did last year for Employment Insurance.