Welcome?: Canadian Taxpayers Federation have a welcome basket for Meghan and Harry
Credit to Author: John Mackie| Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:05:40 +0000
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) admits that the federal government has made no financial commitment to subsidize would-be Canadian residents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
But the anti-tax crusaders don’t trust Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal colleagues. So the fiscally conservative group has launched an online petition calling on the PM “to ensure taxpayers’ money isn’t used to support Harry and Meghan.”
“We’re really glad to hear from Meghan and Harry saying they don’t want to be using public funds, that they want to be financially independent,” said the CTF’s Kris Sims. “But we’ve not yet heard from the prime minister of the Government of Canada that additional taxpayer money isn’t going to be spent on this rich-and-famous couple.
“Our petition has more than 50,000 signatures already and we only launched it a few days ago.”
An email to the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa elicited a response of “we have no comment.”
The CTF held a media event Monday at Jack Poole Plaza on the Coal Harbour waterfront to publicize the petition, and to announce it wanted to welcome Harry and Meghan to Vancouver with a gift basket.
“Our press conference is to remind the prime minister that we need some serious clarity here,” said Sims.
“On the other hand we’re also really happy for them. It’s super wonderful that they’re coming to live here, so we’re donating a really big gift basket on their behalf to a local women’s shelter. So we’re trying to be welcoming as Canadians, but firm in reminding the Canadian government that we shouldn’t be footing this bill.”
Kris Sims, executive director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and daughter Gretel, 11, set up the gift basket at Jack Poole Plaza on Monday.
The news conference was a bit of a dud — when Postmedia News photographer Jason Payne showed up, he was the only media there. (Sims was interviewed by phone beforehand.)
Sims said Markle’s recent visit to a Vancouver Downtown Eastside women’s shelter inspired the CTF to put together a gift basket and donate it to the shelter.
“We know they don’t need fancy towels and new blankets and stuff, but a lot of folks here in Vancouver could certainly use it,” said Sims. “So we’re taking a page from her playbook and we’re making a donation on their behalf.”
Asked if the CTF thought Canada should cut all ties to the monarchy, Sims demurred. “We’re not broaching that right now, this is strictly on Harry and Meghan moving to Canada, no taxpayers money, thank you very much,” she said.
Bruce Hallsor of the Monarchist League of Canada said there doesn’t seem to be “any expectation” that Harry and Meghan “are going to receive any money from the Canadian taxpayer.”
But he noted that Prince Harry did two tours of duty in Afghanistan with the British army, and may still be a target for the Taliban. So some level of security for Harry, Megan and baby Archie may be warranted.
“Regardless of whether they’re a public figure or not, I honestly think the best thing to do is leave that to the RCMP to determine what’s appropriate,” said Hallsor. “I think if they’re not going to be performing public duties they shouldn’t draw any kind of public resources. But if there’s a security threat to any Canadian resident, then police need to assess that and deal with that appropriately.”
In this Jan. 14, 2020, photo provided by the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, centre, poses with staff members of the women’s centre during a visit to the shelter.
Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, reacts as he waits to greet a guest during the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit in London, England, on Jan. 20, 2020.
https://vancouversun.com/feed/