Chiefs of Ontario inviting all First Nations to join UNITY RALLY at Queen's Park
The Chiefs of Ontario Office is organizing a UNITY RALLY during their Special Chiefs Assembly to demonstrate First Nation's opposition to the HST. All Nation citizens are being called upon to be visible and to let your voices be heard.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Queen's Park in front of the Legislature Building.
Join and Support First Nations Leadership in Ontario
First Nations in Ontario oppose Harmonized Sales Tax
The First Nations Leadership in Ontario have organized a unity rally for December 3, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Queens Park in front of the Ontario Legislature in Toronto to collectively demonstrate for the First Nations right to tax exemption.
The First Nations are adamantly opposed to the imposition of the Harmonized Sales Tax on First Nations citizens.
Let’s send a loud and clear “No!” to the HST.
The First Nations leadership in Ontario encourages the participation of First Nation citizens and communities in this rally in order to send a strong message to the federal and provincial governments that First Nations oppose the HST and demand respect for the First Nations right to tax exemption!
The Chiefs of Ontario encourages First Nation communities to bring buses so community members can participate along with banners and/or placards using the key themes and messages.
For more information on maps, route, parking, please call Nathan Wright at (416) 597-1266, 416-523-5530, or Nathan@coo.org.
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HST stokes First Nation tax revolt
Posted By DAVE DALE, THE NUGGET - November 30, 2009
Native leaders are preparing to battle the federal and provincial governments over the implementation of harmonized taxes, arguing that only point of sale exemptions reflect treaty agreements.
The way they want it now is for us to keep all our receipts and submit them at the end of the year to get it back," said Nipissing First Nation Coun. Perry McLeod-Shabogesic.
The practicality is just ridiculous . . . the view of the chiefs and community members is this (harmonized sales tax) is really just a tax grab," McLeod-Shabogesic said while at an Anishinabek Nation chiefs meeting last week.
He said native people shouldn't have to pay taxes up front and then apply to have it returned to them at the end of the year.
That's a lot of receipts and a lot of calculating," McLeod-Shabogesic said.
The whole idea (of tax exemption, such as duty free items at the border) is that you just didn't have to pay them . . . it's the principle of the matter," he said, noting native leaders were against the GST process forced on them in the 1990s.
Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Patrick Madahbee said his people have never consented to being taxed in any fashion.
We don't believe one nation has a right to tax another without consent," Madahbee said during a telephone interview recently while at a conference in Toronto over cuts to child welfare agency funding.
And we don't intend to start paying tax now."
The Anishinabek Nation political office is based out of the Union of Ontario Indians complex on Nipissing First Nation near North Bay.
He said the 42 First Nation communities he represents, as well as other native political organizations, are upset with the way the provincial and federal politicians have played ping-pong" with the issue.
The province said it's a federal issue and the feds don't want to talk to us at all," Madahbee said, adding that the Liberal provincial government said it supports our point of sale exemption, but didn't include us among the many exemptions in the legislation."
The HST issue has given native leaders a common focus.
I think it's an issue that has infuriated all of our leadership and we intend to fight it all the way."
He said there will be meetings in the next couple of weeks to discuss a sustained opposition" strategy to lobby for native tax exemption on the HST.
Nipissing MPP Monique Smith said the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is hosting First Nation leaders this week in Toronto and that the issue will likely be raised then.
We have offered to take up their cause in Ottawa and do what we can to put a case together," Smith said, noting that the Minister of Finance did meet with Ontario Grand Chief Angus Toulouse on a number of occasions.
She said the province's point of sale exemption for First Nations people is threatened only because the harmonized tax system is run out of Ottawa.
It's really (about) the way the GST rules apply," Smith said.
Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota said it was the lack of consultation on the issue that angers most people, especially First Nations people who have tax exemptions rights.
They should have consulted with all Canadians," Rota said.