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Border protests in Coutts, Alta., a ‘concrete manifestation’ of risk to Canada: Rouleau
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Events that transpired during a 17-day protest near the border town of Coutts, Alta., were central to Justice Paul Rouleau’s determination that the federal government had met the threshold to invoke the Emergencies Act.
“The situation in [Coutts was] a concrete manifestation of the very risk that had been identified to Cabinet: a highly disruptive, but mainly peaceful protest that included a smaller group of actors who allegedly intended to effect serious violence for a political purpose,” Rouleau wrote in his executive summary, which was tabled Friday in the House of Commons.
Rouleau wrote that the blockade at the Coutts port of entry was notable for its duration, complexity and volatility, and for the dramatic way it was resolved.
Coutts is a town of just over 200 people about 100 kilometres southeast of Lethbridge, on the border with Montana.
Though Rouleau wrote that many of the protests across Canada, including in Coutts, may have been intended to have been peaceful, the situation “escaped their control.”
Uncovering weapons at the site
According to Rouleau’s report, the RCMP had grown concerned about the possible presence of firearms within the group near the border town as early as Jan. 31, 2022. They investigated, without success, reports of a protester with a gun, and obtained new information about a possible cache of weapons on Feb. 9.
A wiretap authorization was granted on Feb. 11, and on Feb. 13, they obtained a search warrant and searched a motorhome and two trailers, as well as Smuggler’s Saloon, where protesters had been gathering.
During the inquiry, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the head of the RCMP shared with him sensitive police information on Feb. 13, the day before the act was invoked.
“She underlined, for me, that the situation in Coutts involved a hardened cell of individuals armed to the teeth with lethal firearms, who possessed a willingness to go down with the cause,” Mendicino said of his conversation with Commissioner Brenda Lucki.
WATCH: Lucki warned Mendicino that Alberta border blockade could turn violent:
The public safety minister says the head of the RCMP warned him of an urgent threat of violence at the anti-vaccine mandate protests in Coutts, Alta., the day before the Emergencies Act was invoked.
RCMP uncovered a cache of weapons, body armour and ammunition. Allegations of a conspiracy to murder police officers followed. On Feb. 14, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government would be invoking the act, saying that the measures would be “reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address.”
“The fact that this situation was discovered and disrupted is a credit to law enforcement,” wrote Rouleau. “It was, nevertheless, clearly a situation that could reasonably be viewed as meeting the definition [of a threat to the security of Canada under CSIS], but that CSIS had not identified as such.”
Cabinet could “reasonably consider” that the risk of similar groups of politically or ideologically motivated violent actors could have been present at other protests, Rouleau wrote.
‘Most troubling connection’: Diagolon
Rouleau found “the most troubling connection between protest locations” was the presence of Diagolon members in both Ottawa and Coutts.
RCMP described Diagolon as a “militia-like network with members who are armed and prepared for violence” while the Ontario Provincial Police called it an extremist group.
Founder Jeremy MacKenzie downplayed the characterizations of Diagolon during his testimony at the hearing in November, but Rouleau rejected that evidence.
“I am satisfied that law enforcement’s concern about Diagolon is genuine and well founded,” wrote the commissioner.
While MacKenzie recruited members in Ottawa, the commissioner noted that a Diagolon member was in Coutts. That individual was one of the protesters arrested and charged with conspiring to murder RCMP members.
Besides this person’s arrest at the border blockade, further evidence of Diagolon’s presence included a ballistic vest seized by police which bore a Diagolon patch.
The Public Order Emergency Commission (POEC) heard evidence law enforcement agencies were concerned that people and groups “intent on violence” were present at the protests.
“The discovery of the Diagolon insignia among the material seized at Coutts, coupled with the presence of Diagolon leader Jeremy Mackenzie in Ottawa, heightened this concern,” wrote Rouleau.
A further connection between Diagolon and the two main protest sites included evidence gathered by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) that Diagolon supporter Alex Vriend collected donations to pay transportation costs for protesters to Ottawa and Coutts.
Though Rouleau said the connections were “troubling,” he added there was little evidence of significant or widespread coordination between supporters of Diagolon in Coutts and in Ottawa.
“To the contrary, in a report on the arrests in Coutts, the RCMP noted that ‘there has been no information uncovered to suggest that there is an organized effort between the individuals charged in Alberta and individuals involved in the Ottawa protest,'” he wrote.
‘I do not come to this conclusion easily’
In his report, the commissioner also wrote that the protest near the border posed dangers to bystanders, specifically highlighting residents of Coutts who were unable to travel to Milk River, Alta. to access essentials like medical services and grocery stores, while others suffered negative impacts to their psychological health.
That was something raised by Coutts Mayor Jim Willett when he testified during the Emergencies Act inquiry in November, telling the story of a Coutts resident who is an Afghanistan veteran, who left town during the protests because they triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder.
Coutts council members recently passed a resolution that they would not longer talk about the blockade publicly, citing a desire to heal a divide among residents that persists.
As a part of his summary, Rouleau wrote that the threshold for invocation is the point at which order breaks down and freedom cannot be secured, or is seriously threatened.
“In my view, that threshold was reached here,” he wrote.
“I do not come to this conclusion easily, as I do not consider the factual basis for it to be overwhelming and I acknowledge that there is significant strength to the arguments against reaching it. It may well be that serious violence might have been avoided, even without the declaration of emergency.
“That it might have been avoided does not, however, make the decision wrong.”
‘A dangerous precedent’: Shandro
Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams said she believes Coutts became something of a flashpoint during the protests given the high-profile events that occurred there.
“Obviously, there are going to be people who supported the reason for the protests, but not the tactics, or the activities that were used,” Williams said.
“There are some who are just very worried — even if they did think that the actions of some of the participants were completely unjustified — that the powers taken by the government went enough beyond what was justified, that they’re very concerned about the implications for the future. And those questions will continue to circulate.”
Geoffrey Hale, a professor of political science at the University of Lethbridge, said he thought the report had been delivered in a measured way, delivering recommendations for both the provincial and federal governments.
“It attempts to take a balanced view of issues, whether or not you agree or not with its final conclusion, and tries to parse the multiple factors that went into the protests, as opposed to engaging in cliched or one-dimensional thinking,” he said.
In a written statement issued Friday afternoon, Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Shandro said the federal government “unnecessarily” invoked the act, which he says “set a dangerous precedent.”
“The decision to invoke the act violated the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Albertans and gave the federal government the ability to seize property without due process of law,” Shandro said.
“The conclusion reached by the inquiry does not affect Alberta’s decision to participate in legal challenges initiated against the federal government by the Canadian Constitution Foundation and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association last year.”
Marco Van Huigenbos, 32, from Fort Macleod, Alta., was one of the organizers of the demonstration at Coutts. He has been charged with mischief over $5,000.
The day after the raids, he told CBC News the protest was “infiltrated by an extreme element” and said the remaining protesters had decided to “peacefully leave Coutts and return to [their] families.”
In an interview Friday, he said that statement still stands, but added that he felt what took place near the border was “way bigger” than what took place with the weapons and related arrests.
“I feel like Coutts was an event that, was first and foremost, [about] the people, Albertans, that came out to express their frustrations,” he said. “It was just unfortunate how it ended.”
More money will land in the pockets of Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit (CCB) installment.
The federal government program helps low and middle-income families struggling with the soaring cost of raising a child.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees who are the primary caregivers for children under 18 years old are eligible for the program, introduced in 2016.
The non-taxable monthly payments are based on a family’s net income and how many children they have. Families that have an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount per child.
For a child under six years old, an applicant can annually receive up to $7,437 per child, and up to $6,275 per child for kids between the ages of six through 17.
That translates to up to $619.75 per month for the younger cohort and $522.91 per month for the older group.
The benefit is recalculated every July and most recently increased 6.3 per cent in order to adjust to the rate of inflation, and cost of living.
To apply, an applicant can submit through a child’s birth registration, complete an online form or mail in an application to a tax centre.
The next payment date will take place on May 17.
News
Capital gains tax change draws ire from some Canadian entrepreneurs worried it will worsen brain drain – CBC.ca
A chorus of Canadian entrepreneurs and investors is blasting the federal government’s budget for expanding a tax on the rich. They say it will lead to brain drain and further degrade Canada’s already poor productivity.
In the 2024 budget unveiled Tuesday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government would increase the inclusion rate of the capital gains tax from 50 per cent to 67 per cent for businesses and trusts, generating an estimated $19 billion in new revenue.
Capital gains are the profits that individuals or businesses make from selling an asset — like a stock or a second home. Individuals are subject to the new changes on any profits over $250,000.
The government estimates that the changes would impact 40,000 individuals (or 0.13 per cent of Canadians in any given year) and 307,000 companies in Canada.
However, some members of the business community say that expanding the taxable amount will devastate productivity, investment and entrepreneurship in Canada, and might even compel some of the country’s talent and startups to take their business elsewhere.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled the government’s 2024 federal budget, with spending targeted at young voters and a plan to raise capital gains taxes for some of the wealthiest Canadians.
Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), said the capital gains tax has overshadowed parts of the federal budget that the business community would otherwise be excited about.
“There were definitely some other stars in the budget that were interesting,” he said. “However, the … capital gains piece really is the sun, and it’s daylight. So this is really the only thing that innovators can see.”
The CCI has written and is circulating an open letter signed by more than 1,000 people in the Canadian business community to Trudeau’s government asking it to scrap the tax change.
Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke and president Harley Finkelstein also weighed in on the proposed hike on X, formerly known as Twitter.
We need to be doing everything we can to turn Canada into the best place for entrepreneurs to build 🇨🇦<br><br>What’s proposed in the federal budget will do the complete opposite. Innovators and entrepreneurs will suffer and their success will be penalized — this is not a wealth tax,…
—@harleyf
Former finance minister Bill Morneau said his successor’s budget disincentivizes businesses from investing in the country’s innovation sector: “It’s probably very troubling for many investors.”
Canada’s productivity — a measure that compares economic output to hours worked — has been relatively poor for decades. It underperforms against the OECD average and against several other G7 countries, including the U.S., Germany, U.K. and Japan, on the measure.
Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Rogers sounded the alarm on Canada’s lagging productivity in a speech last month, saying the country’s need to increase the rate had reached emergency levels, following one of the weakest years for the economy in recent memory.
The government said it was proposing the tax change to make life more affordable for younger generations and fund efforts to boost housing supply — and that it would support productivity growth.
A challenge for investors, founders and workers
The change could have a chilling effect for several reasons, with companies already struggling to access funding in a high interest rate environment, said Bergen.
He questioned whether investors will want to fund Canadian companies if the government’s taxation policies make it difficult for those firms to grow — and whether founders might just pack up.
The expanded inclusion rate “is just one of the other potential concerns that firms are going to have as they’re looking to grow their companies.”
He said the rejigged tax is also an affront to high-skilled workers from low-innovation sectors who might have taken the risk of joining a startup for the opportunity, even taking a lower wage on the chance that a firm’s stock options grow in value.
But Lindsay Tedds, an associate economics professor at the University of Calgary, said the tax change is one of the most misunderstood parts of the federal budget — and that its impact on the country’s talent has been overstated.
“This is not a major innovation-biting tax change treatment,” Tedds said. “In fact, when you talk to real grassroots entrepreneurs that are setting up businesses, tax rates do not come into their decision.”
As for productivity, Tedds said Canadians might see improvements in the long run “to the degree that some of our productivity problems are driven by stresses like housing affordability, access to child care, things like that.”
‘One foot on the gas, one foot on the brake’
Some say the government is sending mixed messages to entrepreneurs by touting tailored tax breaks — like the Canada Entrepreneurs’ Incentive, which reduces the capital gains inclusion rate to 33 per cent on a lifetime maximum of $2 million — while introducing measures they say would dampen investment and innovation.
“They seem to have one foot on the gas, one foot on the brake on the very same file,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Some business groups are worried that new capital gains tax changes could hurt economic growth. But according to Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez, most Canadians won’t be impacted by that change — and it’s a move to create fairness.
A founder may be able to sell their successful company with a lower capital gains treatment than otherwise possible, he said.
“At the same time, though, big chunks of it may be subject to a higher rate of capital gains inclusion.”
Selling a company can fund an individual’s retirement, he said, which is why it’s one of the first things founders consider when they think about capital gains.
Mainstreet NS7:03Ottawa is proposing a hike to capital gains tax. What does that mean?
Tuesday’s federal budget includes nearly $53 billion in new spending over the next five years with a clear focus on affordability and housing. To help pay for some of that new spending, Ottawa is proposing a hike to the capital gains tax. Moshe Lander, an economics lecturer at Concordia University, joins host Jeff Douglas to explain.
Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says he was disappointed by the change — and that it sends the wrong message to Canadian industries like his own.
He wants to see the government commit to more tax credit proposals like the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses, which he said would incentivize business owners to stay and help make Canada competitive with the U.S.
“We’ve had a lot of difficulties attracting investment over the years. I don’t think this will make it any better.”
Tech titan says change will only impact richest of the rich
Toronto tech entrepreneur Ali Asaria will be one of those subject to the expanded capital gains inclusion rate — but he says it’s only fair.
“It’s going to really affect the richest of the rich people,” Asaria, CEO of open source platform Transformer Lab and founder of well.ca, told CBC News.
“The capital gains exemption is probably the largest tax break that I’ve ever received in my life,” he said. “So I know a lot about what that benefit can look like, but I’ve also always felt like it was probably one of the most unfair parts of the tax code today.”
While Asaria said Canada needs to continue encouraging talent to take risks and build companies in the country, taxation policies aren’t the most major problem.
“I think that the biggest central issue to the reason why people will leave Canada is bigger issues, like housing,” he said.
“How do we make it easier to live in Canada so that we can all invest in ourselves and invest in our companies? That’s a more important question than, ‘How do we help the top 0.13 per cent of Canadians make more money?'”
More money will land in the pockets of Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit (CCB) installment.
The federal government program helps low and middle-income families struggling with the soaring cost of raising a child.
Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees who are the primary caregivers for children under 18 years old are eligible for the program, introduced in 2016.
The non-taxable monthly payments are based on a family’s net income and how many children they have. Families that have an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount per child.
For a child under six years old, an applicant can annually receive up to $7,437 per child, and up to $6,275 per child for kids between the ages of six through 17.
That translates to up to $619.75 per month for the younger cohort and $522.91 per month for the older group.
The benefit is recalculated every July and most recently increased 6.3 per cent in order to adjust to the rate of inflation, and cost of living.
To apply, an applicant can submit through a child’s birth registration, complete an online form or mail in an application to a tax centre.
The next payment date will take place on May 17.
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