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Lebanese evacuation costs canada $85 million. 7000 have already returned!!!
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| Jayx1 |
This is a big F you to those who called me a racist for saying that we should not be airlifting for FREE, Lebanese "Canadians" who used the passport as a free ride out of the country.
I think we seriously need to rethink the way we look at citizenship because we all just got taken for the suckers we are.
All i cant think about right now is that whiney woman on tv. "and i had to sleep on the floor and the trip took 12 hours and oh my god it was horrible!" Sorry it wasnt a luxury 1st class cabin beotch!
Pissed off? You bet!
| quote: | The tab for the large-scale evacuation of Canadians from war-torn Lebanon during Hezbollah's conflict with Israel cost taxpayers $85 million, CTV News has learned.
The government won't officially divulge what the running total is, nor will it reveal how many people returned to Lebanon after the fighting stopped in mid-August.
But sources have told CTV News about 7,000 evacuees have returned to Lebanon of an estimated 50,000 Lebanese-Canadians who live there permanently.
Ontario Conservative MP Garth Turner says citizenship rules need to be revamped.
"I think Canadian taxpayers have every right in the world to be ticked at what happened," Turner told CTV News.
"Should citizenship expire after a certain period of time if you don't live in Canada anymore? Should it take longer occupancy to get Canadian citizenship?" he asked.
Turner said he is trying to "raise the alarm" that while Canada took these Lebanese-Canadians away from harm's way, "it was to be expected that they would find their way back when the hostilities ceased."
Others want to see that dual citizens who are living outside the country are paying taxes.
"We should do our tax treaties with other countries and see if we can ensure that the tax is collected so that Canadians holding dual citizenship pay tax," Ontario Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi said.
Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director John Williamson agreed, saying that "If you don't want to pay taxes to the government of Canada, you give up your citizenship."
Williamson added that he thinks a lot of taxpayers will find it difficult to digest the sum of "tens of millions of dollars."
"I think a lot of taxpayers across this country are going to be wondering why so much money was spent on people -- (who are) citizens, but who don't reside in Canada. I think there's going to be a lot of questions for the government of Canada," he said.
But many Lebanese-Canadians see it differently.
"Once you are Canadian, it's either you are a Canadian or you are not Canadian. There is no second-class citizenship," said Khalid Hashem of the Canadian Lebanese Cultural Association.
Canada's first evacuees were rescued by boat from Beirut on July 19, days after the beginning of Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities.
A sluggish start to Canadian evacuation efforts triggered a firestorm of criticism of the government's handling of the crisis, including accusations of micro-managing from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office.
But other observers said the government did its best given it was faced with the largest number of evacuees of any country.
Between July 19 and mid-August, chartered ships and planes ferried approximately 14,000 Canadians out of Lebanon from Beirut and the southern port city of Tyre to Cyprus and Turkey. The passengers were then flown home.
Up to 40,000 Canadians were registered with the embassy -- the largest population of expatriates in the country.
As a rule, Canada asks citizens to reimburse the government for their evacuation from foreign lands.
But the federal government decided in this case that taxpayers would foot the bill for costs related to the evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon.
Ottawa similarly agreed to waive evacuation charges after the devastating 2004 tsunami. |
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| EvilTree |
I don't believe in concept of dual citizenship.
You're either Canadian or not. Don't try to to mooch off Canada just because you want freebies. |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| Wow, it cost $6000 (85mil/14thou) per person to get a Canadian person out of Lebanon. My family of four spent that much on a week-long vacation to Europe. |
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| klago |
YAY!
Good to know my tax dollars are being used efficiently. :whip: |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
I don't believe in concept of dual citizenship.
You're either Canadian or not. Don't try to to mooch off Canada just because you want freebies. |
i dont mind dual citizenship. BUT, there should be different rules for those who are residents and those who are non residents just like there is now for OHIP. |
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| colonelcrisp |
| in free loaders...... |
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| English Rachel |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
I don't believe in concept of dual citizenship.
You're either Canadian or not. Don't try to to mooch off Canada just because you want freebies. |
A little controversial perhaps but I will become a dual citizen next summer when I have been here 3 years. I am English and always will be but I choose to be a citizen of Canada. Is the concept of dual citizenship wrong then? This is the problem you see, you can't treat people differently and whilst I will never mooch off the canadian government (rather, end up paying them enough tax last year to have 8 Canadians brought back from Lebanon...) you cannot give people of certain nationalities special treatment. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by English Rachel
A little controversial perhaps but I will become a dual citizen next summer when I have been here 3 years. I am English and always will be but I choose to be a citizen of Canada. Is the concept of dual citizenship wrong then? This is the problem you see, you can't treat people differently and whilst I will never mooch off the canadian government (rather, end up paying them enough tax last year to have 8 Canadians brought back from Lebanon...) you cannot give people of certain nationalities special treatment. |
But you can based on RESIDENCY and thats my whole arguement. If you are a canadian citizen and reside in england, you should NOT have the same rights as canadian citizens/residents. |
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| Tordan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
Wow, it cost $6000 (85mil/14thou) per person to get a Canadian person out of Lebanon. My family of four spent that much on a week-long vacation to Europe. |
I don't understand why the government isn't asking to be reimbursed for the evacuation. If not the full 6000 at least a set amount should be repaid by all those rescued. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Tordan
I don't understand why the government isn't asking to be reimbursed for the evacuation. If not the full 6000 at least a set amount should be repaid by all those rescued. |
or at least all those who have returned |
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| English Rachel |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
But you can based on RESIDENCY and thats my whole arguement. If you are a canadian citizen and reside in england, you should NOT have the same rights as canadian citizens/residents. |
I agree. |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
or at least all those who have returned |
Exactly. Essentially, we gave 7000 Lebanese citizens protection as well as a $6000 vacation. |
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