Monthly Archives: February 2022

VANCOUVER The new leader of the British Columbia Liberals says he's on his way to Victoria with promises that will rebuild the party and attract voters while he also seeks his own seat in the legislature.

VANCOUVER The new leader of the British Columbia Liberals says he's on his way to Victoria with promises that will rebuild the party and attract voters while he also seeks his own seat in the legislature.

Party members acknowledge that Kevin Falcon has a big renewal job ahead, as the Liberals have lost two consecutive elections after holding power for 16 years. Falcon is the party's third leader since 2017.

He replaces Andrew Wilkinson, who resigned shortly after the October 2020 election when the New Democrats were voted in with a majority government.

Party members selected a new leader in online and phone voting that started last Thursday. The system awarded points to the seven candidates based on how those ballots were cast.

Falcon scored a fifth ballot win Saturday, taking just over 52 per cent of the points available, in a sometimes fractious leadership race that saw the former cabinet minister face attacks from his opponents as the perceived front-runner.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Mary Polak said Sunday rebuilding the party will be Falcon's top priority, but it poses difficulties for an Opposition leader, especially without a seat in the legislature.

She said the margin of Falcon's victory and his lead from start to finish gives him some added strength as it shows his widespread support among party members.

"It'll be job one for the new leader to get everybody on the same page," said Polak. "That's always more challenging for a leader of the Opposition because there's not a lot they have to work with in terms of tools that would perhaps reward people for loyalty."

Despite the admirable work done by interim leader Shirley Bond in the legislature since Wilkinson's resignation, the Liberals and voters have not had a leader to rally around since the 2020 election, Polak said.

"It has a big impact on how visible the party can be, how much their message gets out," she said.

The B.C. legislature resumes sitting Tuesday with a throne speech.

Falcon said in a statement late Saturday he will quickly seek a seat in the legislature and consult with the 28 members of the party's caucus about a potential riding in which to run.

"Once that seat becomes available, I will immediately ask (Premier) John Horgan to call that byelection at the earliest possible time," he said.

Falcon held a seat in Surrey for three terms before deciding not to run in the 2013 election.

Falcon, 59, said he left politics to spend more time with his young family. He has been working in the private sector with a Vancouver investment and property development firm.

He held a number of portfolios in cabinet after first being elected in 2001, including transportation, health, finance and deputy premier. Falcon finished second in the 2011 leadership contest, losing to Christy Clark, who served as premier until the party lost power.

Falcon focused on past Liberal accomplishments in his first news conference as leader late Saturday, saying the former Liberal governments of which he was part made major accomplishments on environmental, financial and infrastructure fronts.

"The grass didn't grow dry under our feet," he said. "We got big things done and I don't see that happening now. I believe that the public wants to support people and leaders that aren't afraid to get big things done."

Falcon said he plans to be at the legislature as much as he can despite not having a seat, but he'll also travel the province.

"I'm going to talk candidly to the public. I want them to understand how much I care about this province and our future, and it will take time," he said. "I believe it's going to take at least a couple of years before people really start to say, 'Hey, you know what, I like what he talks about.'"

The B.C. Liberals are not affiliated with the federal Liberal party and have described themselves as "a made-in-B.C. free enterprise coalition."

Mike Bernier, a Liberal member of the legislature from Dawson Creek, said he was among a dozen caucus members who backed Falcon because they believe he has the experience and skill to unite B.C.'s urban and rural voters, and its Conservative and Liberal supporters.

"I'm the furthest MLA from Vancouver but I still supported Kevin because I knew we needed somebody who doesn't just have the ability to win the rural seats we already win," said Bernier. "We need to get the trust back of the public and our voters, and we need that all across B.C., not just in pockets."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2022.

Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press

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Falcon heads to Victoria pledging B.C. Liberal rebuild, looks for seat in legislature - Coast Reporter

The federal Liberal government was so concerned about relaxed rules for intergenerational transfers of small businesses triggering a flood of tax-evasion schemes that it attempted an end-run around parliamentary precedent last summer to delay that legislation coming into force.

The attempt to delay the implementation of Bill C-208, a private members bill, folded under blowback from opposition parties. After three weeks of controversy, the government backtracked, conceded that the new rules were in effect, and then promised amendments that would close down any loopholes. Six months later, however, it has yet to embark on consultation, much less pass legislation.

The government said in an e-mailed statement it still plans to draw up those draft amendments. It would then solicit comments on the proposed amendments as part of a consultation process.

The original legislation passed with the support of opposition parties and a handful of Liberal MPs. The government would need votes from other parties for any amendments, since the Liberals fell short of their bid in last years election campaign to convert their minority government into a majority.

The bill received royal assent on June 29. The next day, the government announced its intention to delay the legislations implementation until Jan 1., in apparent defiance of parliamentary convention and the wording of the federal Interpretation Act, which says laws come into effect upon royal assent unless otherwise specified.

The following month, the Commons finance committee scheduled a special session to probe the issue. The day before that session, the government backtracked and acknowledged the bill was already in effect. A statement from Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland pointed to an implementation date for amendments as early as Nov. 1.

But that date has come and gone, as has Jan. 1, with no draft legislation proposed. And there was no mention of the issue in Decembers economic and fiscal update.

Larry Maguire, the Conservative MP who sponsored the private members bill, said in a statement that he has not heard anything from the government on potential amendments, and that the silence is creating uncertainty for farmers or small business owners who may want to transfer their enterprises to their children or grandchildren. Business owners have an obvious concern that any amendments the government passes could be applied retroactively, he wrote.

However, during the special sitting of the finance committee in July, Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Small Business, said she unequivocally confirmed on behalf of the government that any amendments to C-208 would not be retroactive.

Bill C-208 gives more generous tax treatment to intergenerational transfers of small and medium-sized businesses. It does this by treating those transactions in the same manner as sales to unrelated third parties. Business owners can claim proceeds from sales of shares to adult children or grandchildren as capital gains, rather than as dividend payments. Capital gains are taxed at a lower rate and, in some cases, a taxpayer can use a lifetime exemption to avoid paying any tax at all.

Jennifer Leve, a tax partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC in Toronto, said her clients had been unhappy with the pre-C-208 tax treatment of sales to their offspring. Everybody was always so worked up, but it wasnt because they were trying to sell it just to get a tax benefit, she said. They really just wanted to sell it because they were retiring, or they were done with working. They were at that stage in their life.

But critics of the bill, as well as the federal Finance Department, warned that it could enable business owners to evade taxes through a type of sham transfer aimed at extracting cash from a business a practice called surplus stripping. Under that tactic, there is no real transfer of control, and hence no real transfer of the business.

In its July statement, the government said its amendments would include provisions to prevent surplus stripping. For example, it said it could introduce a requirement to transfer legal and factual control of a corporation to a child or grandchild. It also said it could specify the level of ownership that a parent could maintain for a reasonable time after such a transfer, the requirements and timeline for a transition, and the required level of involvement in a business by a child or grandchild following a transfer.

In a statement, the Canada Revenue Agency said it is too soon for it to have any data on taxpayer behaviours or trends related to the new rules, since the tax years which might include arrangements contemplated by Bill C-208 have not yet concluded.

Ms. Leve said she has seen some articles by tax professionals warning of possible retroactive changes to Bill C-208. But she said her preliminary discussions with clients interested in using the provisions of the new bill to transfer their businesses to children or grandchildren have not centred on worries about retroactivity or, on the other hand, rushing through transactions ahead of any amendments.

Instead, she said, her clients remain focused on whether they wish to retire and hand over their businesses to their offspring. I think the bill is appropriate, because thats the experience Ive seen with clients wanting to do this kind of transaction.

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Liberals in a quandary over new law on small business transfers within families - The Globe and Mail

The Amnesty International report condemning Israeli apartheid as a cruel and enduring system of dominion over Palestinians is turning into a big moment in the discourse of the conflict. The Israel lobby is going haywire over the report, and politicians from both parties are duly standing up and trashing the report.

The Israel lobby needs to build a firewall to keep apartheid from entering the establishment discourse. Weve all seen apartheid move from the Palestinian solidarity community into the human rights/progressive community over 15 years. What Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu (and I) got pilloried for saying years ago is now everywhere. Betty McCollum and Aida Touma-Sliman said it four years ago. Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group BTselem said it in lengthy reports last year.

There is even progressive Jewish consensus that its apartheid. A recent survey in the wake of Israels last onslaught on Gaza says fully a quarter of Jews believe Israel practices apartheid, and the number rises to 38 percent of those under 40. Three Jewish groups say its apartheid: Jews Say No, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow. Amnesty reiterates what Palestinians have been making painstakingly clear for more than two decades, say Jews Say No. Sylvain Cypels new book, The State of Israel Vs. The Jews says its apartheid; and its a danger to Jews everywhere because Israel is asking them to sign off on blatant injustice to preserve its diplomatic immunity.

But what about liberal Zionists? They have criticized the Israeli occupation for years, often vehemently. What do they have to say about the apartheid report?

The liberal Zionists are not accepting the reports of the leading human rights organizations.

J Street writes:

J Street does not endorse the findings or the recommendations of the report, nor do we use the word apartheid to describe the situation on the ground.

Ameinu (Labor Zionists and members of the powerful Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations) rejects the allegation of apartheid:

Ameinu President Kenneth Bob said, I reject the conclusions of the Amnesty report but I think that Israels supporters in America and around the world need to take a close and unflinching look at Israels policies in the occupied territories that are causing this uproar in the international community.

Partners for Progressive Israel (the Meretz party in the U.S.) disdains the word:

As we stated last year, our organization is not an arbiter of international law and avoids using such terminology, which is both legally rarefied and politically inflammatory. Moreover, use of the ultra-charged term apartheid also has the potential to actually undermine anti-occupation work by offering the right wing a path to redirect the public conversation away from genuine human rights abuses and into more convenient territory. That is precisely what has happened in this case

While we therefore refrain from using the word apartheid, we appreciate the work of Amnesty International insofar as it directs American and international attention to the reality of ongoing injustices.

New Israel Fund speaks of entrenched systemic discrimination, and endorses action Against violence & Jewish Terror for Palestinian Farmers! But it has not mentioned the Amnesty International report in its twitter feed.

Americans for Peace Now says it has no comment for now, and it is not going to condemn the report without reading it. Does delegitimizing those who dare to say apartheid change the horrific circumstances that led Israeli soldiers to leave an elderly Palestinian-American man, handcuffed and gagged, to die on a cold West Bank night?

J Street is also talking a lot about the killing of Omar Assad, 78, and calling for an investigation of the Israeli forces that killed him.

The liberal Zionists are getting more and more outspoken against atrocities in the West Bank even as they reject the apartheid label. They know that 38 percent of young American Jews said it was apartheid last summer and that number is only going up as every leading human rights organization says its apartheid.

The liberal Zionists fear that the progressive community will turn against them their own children if they dont at least speak up against Jewish terror. But still they cant bring themselves to say, Apartheid.

I think the liberal Zionist failure on the apartheid moment is political. They all know that its apartheid. Leaders of New Israel Fund and Americans for Peace Now have said as much at times. Theyve all stood at the Qalandiya crossing, that complex of modern structures housing cattle chutes and metal detectors and soldiers that lets a few Palestinians into the eternal capital of the Jewish state, Jerusalem, and seen apartheid before their eyes.

But to call it what it is is politically marginalizing in the U.S., due to the power of the center-right Israel lobby. Everyone in the Jewish establishment hates the report. Official Israel hates the report. Liberal Zionists want to be taken seriously in that establishment community. They want access to U.S. politicians and they want to stay inside the Jewish tent and meet with the Israeli prime minister. Jonathan Greenblatt makes crazed arguments against the report that anti-Zionists are as dangerous as ISIS, that the Amnesty International report is antisemitic and a danger to Jewish lives and Jonathan Greenblatt gets walk-in access to the FBI director and major media, and Congress, too, to the point that he calls Democratic congressmen by their first names and feels he can riff on Bruce Springsteen song-titles when hes talking about Palestinian rights.

J Street doesnt have that kind of power and it wants it. Its not going to alienate the ADL. To call apartheid what it is, is to be excommunicated. So even when the entire human rights community is saying something, they have to distance themselves.

And yes, I think this is ultimately about money. The rightwing pro-Israel donors are still a crucial bloc in Democratic Party fundraising and Joe Biden is going to do nothing to upset those people. So he adopts a loopy definition of antisemitism that says its antisemitic to criticize Israel. And his State Department goes out of its way to denounce this Amnesty International report even as the AP reporter points out that it relies on Amnesty International all the time when criticizing other countries. And nine Jewish congressmen say apartheid is an antisemitic accusation. And J Street falls into line by calling BDS the tool that Palestinian civil society overwhelmingly endorses to honor their rights antisemitic.

The real question is how long liberal Zionists can hold out against the progressive Jewish street by doing lip service against the occupation. How long before their own children embarrass them by disrupting their conferences and demanding more

So where are the Palestinian voices in mainstream media?

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We don't use the word apartheid say the liberal Zionists - Mondoweiss

The thing about changing prime ministers every three years is that it leaves the old ones with quite a lot of puff.

Unluckily for Boris Johnson, the prime minister he replaced remains in the House of Commons as a backbencher. And Theresa May was as happy as everyone else to publicly stick the boot into her embattled successor last week, theatrically questioning whether hed misunderstood the lockdown rules or merely thought himself exempt.

Theresa May with now-knighted husband Philip. AP

Though, on that front, at least, relief is in sight, with the news that May is presently packing her bags for her inaugural trip to Australia. Which, at least, should get her out of the headlines back home.

Lady May (as shes now known courtesy of her husbands 2020 knighthood) will on Friday be the guest of honour at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Tickets were on Sunday still available to the gala luncheon, where shell speak on the need for more women in politics and business.

At a mere $215 a pop (or $180 for members), listening to May at the VCCI is a damn sight cheaper than holding out for the following evenings dinner at Jeffs Shed, where the Victorian Liberals are billing no less than $1000 each. Whichll help their campaign coffers.

Perhaps to avoid such bill shock, New South Wales Liberals have avoided publicising a price tag on their May dinner function, to be held the following Wednesday. Party supporters have instead been invited to register their interest in being one of the strictly limited attendees to a private dinner, with further details to be advised. An earlier conversation with Theresa May to take place over lunch on the same day is billing for a pricey $1000 a seat. Or $3000 for a premium allocation.

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Theresa May's jam-packed itinerary to fill Liberal coffers - The Australian Financial Review

The Conservative leader of Dacorum Borough Council admitted supporters stayed at home and voted with their feet in the wake of partygate, as Liberal Democrats extended their majority in two battleground wards.

On Thursday, February 3, the Lib Dems extended their lead in the wards of Berkhamsted West and Boxmoor but put their success down to a strong local campaign, with the controversy around Boris Johnson only providing a nudge on polling day.

The two wards have often been safely Conservative since boundaries were redrawn in 2007, and are represented by two Tory MPs, but Liberal Democrats completed a sweep of all five district councillors in 2019.

One councillor said the result cemented Berkhamsted as a Liberal Democrat town, while council leader Councillor Andrew Williams (Conservative, Adeyfield East) claimed voters were disillusioned with national politics, rather than the local council.

The two by-elections were called after Nicky Woolner (Berkhamsted West) and Liz Uttley (Boxmoor) both left their roles at the start of November.

Following their success, Liberal Democrats said issues with the Local Plan, concerns over local rivers and parking were common themes amongst residents, although admitted national issues helped their cause.

In Boxmoor, the Liberal Democrat candidate Simy Dhyani increased the partys vote share by 18 per cent, winning votes off all three opposing parties.

In Berkhamsted West, Anne Foster was elected with a 14 per cent increase in vote share, which led her fellow councillors to declare Berkhamsted a Lib Dem town.

Anne Foster said it was mostly local issues that came up on the doorstep, and said in Berkhamsted the priorities were in regards to traffic congestion, lack of infrastructure and concerns about the River Bulbourne.

Cllr Lara Pringle (Northchurch, Liberal Democrat), who led Ms Fosters campaign, said: Its quite interesting because theres a mix of issues. I think having such a fantastic local candidate was really key to our campaign.

Annes really well-known around the town for doing work all around the town and has been for many years so she got a tremendous amount of vote on that.

But there were also a lot of people who were incredibly disillusioned with what was going on on a national level and they certainly made their voices heard on the doorstep.

Cllr Pringle added: I was talking about Anne and local issues, people were often responding on integrity in politics so having a good local candidate who you can trust because you know [was an advantage].

All Dacorum councillors will be up for election in May 2023, and Cllr Pringle said after the party are confident of maintaining the success.

She added: I think it is encouraging for next year, I think were sending a consistent message from Berkhamsted and Tring because this has been Liberal Democrat right since 2018.

The Conservatives did try to try fight back this time, and we noticed they brought the Home Secretary [Priti Patel] to Berkhamsted Leisure Centre, and I actually think the people of Berkhamsted sent a message that they will continue to vote Liberal Democrat. Berkhamsted now sees itself as a Liberal Democrat town.

However, Cllr Williams said nothing can be drawn from the results and the Conservatives have a positive message ahead of next years vote.

He said: Its disappointing, we put on a good campaign with local issues but I think we were affected by the national mood.

In the circumstances, people are disillusioned. If people are disillusioned its very hard to get the local issues over. Weve got a well performing-council, but local issues werent coming up on the doorstep.

People are disappointed, undoubtedly the low turnout reflects some of our supporters staying at home as a protest. With the exception of the Lib Dems in Boxmoor, every other party has gone down, Greens and Labour have suffered as well so I think its a protest vote. Its probably because people are a bit disillusioned and voted with their feet not to come out.

Its a mid-term by-election, and its hard to take anything from that I think weve still got a positive message for Dacorum in 2023.

Following her victory, Ms Dhyani said she was surprised by the size of her win, but there was huge support on the doorstep.

She said she believed the increase in vote was a result of local policies, rather than the national picture and said she wanted to restore a buzz to the village.

Ms Dhyani, who manages a steakhouse in Boxmoor added: Theres two existing Lib Dem councillors in the ward, I really want to join the hard work theyre doing.

"There have been local issues such as parking and street lights, but I really want to work on some other areas such as getting some buzz on Boxmoor High Street. At the moment there isnt a lot going on and I really want to get some proposals together.

Anne Foster was also elected as a new Town Councillor for Berkhamsted Town Council, in a by-election held at the same time as the district council vote.

Berkhamsted West District council:

> Anne Foster, Liberal Democrats 924

> Gary Jon Moore, Conservative Party 318

> Kevin Fielding, Green Party 130

> Peter Scott, Labour 69

Berkhamsted West Town council:

> Anne Foster, Liberal Democrats 905

> Gary Jon Moore, Conservative Party 305

> Kevin Fielding, Green Party 139

> Peter Scott, Labour 72

> Max Khazaneh, Independent 21

Boxmoor District council

> Simy Dhyani, Liberal Democrat 1,319

> Brandon Geary, Conservative 599

> Cameron Brady-Turner, Labour 171

> Sherief Hassan, Green Party 92.

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By-election results: Liberal Democrats extend lead in Berkhamsted West and Boxmoor - Hemel Today

Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last breath at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai, on Sunday. The legendary singer died due to the Covid-19 related complications. She was 92 years old. According to the reports, she was undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital. Lata Mangeshkar was suffering from pneumonia.

The death of Lata Mangeshkar has pushed the nation into collective mourning. People across the country condoled the death of Indias greatest singer.

However, not everyone in the country was mourning the tragic loss of the national icon. On the contrary, a section of liberals descended on social media platforms to celebrate her death and abuse the legendary singer. The reason for such a display of hatred towards Lata Mangeshkar was her association with nationalist icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

As the nation mourned the death, liberals took to Twitter to claim Lata Mangeshkar deserved no sympathy as she was a Sanghi. Lata Mangeshkars admiration for nationalist icons and her close association with the RSS became a rallying point for the left-liberals, who did not shy away from making harsh comments on the deceased.

A liberal social media user Manveer Singh said that one should note before posting RIP Lata Mangeshkar tweets that the legendary singer was an ardent supporter of RSS, which according to him, is a fascist hate group that took inspiration from Nazism. The liberal social media person said that though she had a beautiful voice, she supported fascism.

Shivangi, a left-liberal columnist writing for news portals like Firstpost and far-left Newsclick, went a step ahead to claim that Lata Mangeshkar was a Sanghi for all her life. Making a vile attack, Shivangi said Lata Mangeshkars voice was equivalent to a pressure cooker whistle and asked mourners to save the RIP stuff.

Continuing to rant against Lata Mangeshkar, the left-liberal journalist claimed that Lata Mangeshkar was famous because she started singing in the radio era. She claimed that the radio diluted the extra sweet diabetic voice of Lata Mangeshkar, and said her voice was equivalent to a pressure cooker whistle. She also called Lata Mangeshkar a vile woman and abused her for supporting Veer Savarkar.

Another liberal social media user with varied pronouns claimed Lata Mangeshkar never spoke against Hindutva fascism but lent it credibility by endorsing Savarkar. The social media user said he/they would not be mourning the loss.

Social media user Abz also tweeted, saying Lata supported RSS and had a close family tie with Savarkar.

Another Twitter user Tanjiro Tan also spread false propaganda against Lata Mangeshkar on her death. She claimed that Lata Mangeshkar single-handedly suppressed innovation in the Indian music industry by viciously denying independent artists space in the film industry.

The user claimed that it was only when she grew old and was unable to sing that diversity returned to the Indian music scene.

Aditi, another declared liberal, claims that nobody spoke when Danish Siddique, Irfan Khan, Dilip Kumar or Rishi Kapoor died. She asked what is the need for the special honour to declare two-day mourning in the memory of Lata Mangeshkar was. However, this claim is also wrong, because Dilip Kumar was accorded a full state funeral after his death last year.

Many Islamists also expressed joy and used the laughing emoji on the news of the demise of the legendary singer.

True to their character, fact-checker Muhammad Zubair of Alt News rushed to their rescue and defended them by claiming that these people dont know how to use emojis and hence are expressing joy on Mangeshkars demise.

Zubair has regularly rushed to whitewash the crimes of Islamists in what appears like a service to his coreligionists.

These liberals, who claim to be extremely tolerant, have again displayed their hatred towards nationalists who have accomplished greater things, which these individuals can never even dream of. The rejoicing of the death of Lata Mangeshkar and foul mouthing the deceased has become a norm these days, especially in the liberal circles, who do not shy away in scorning these individuals simply because they are unapologetic about displaying their Hindu nationalist identity.

Death is unavoidable, and all of us face it at some point. However, to display so much hatred for a 92-year-old accomplished soul is rather deplorable.

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As nation mourns the demise of Lata Mangeshkar, liberals celebrate the death of the legend, call her a fascist and a vile sanghi - OpIndia