By email: sunletters@vancouversun.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Fazil Mihlar
Letters to the Editor
The Vancouver Sun
#1-200 Granville Street
Vancouver BC
V6C 3N3
February 9, 2012
Dear Sir:
David Baines’ article in the Wednesday, February 8, 2012 edition reads “Small business group unfairly impugns CRA; Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses takes advantage of fact that agency will not fight back”. Mr. Baines’ article clearly reflects his political savvy and his knowledge of the privacy provisions imposed upon the Canada Revenue Agency.
For too long, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB ) leaders have engaged in a long line of targeted attacks against the CRA and for that matter, the entire public service and public service employees by publicizing exaggerations, embellishments, part-truths and untruths in an effort to espouse their own agenda. And they have embarked on this strategy knowing full well that privacy laws and government policy prevent employees and government officials from setting the record straight by responding with the facts. As disturbingly, the CFIB leadership, who purports to be acting in the interests of its members, are using their own members as pawns in these attacks.
As National President of the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) representing 26, 000 members employed by the CRA, I and other of our union activists have had numerous discussions with small business owners. These business owners are hard-working women and men who have reported to us that they became members of CFIB to obtain the financial benefits of membership, for the most part. These women and men have told us unequivocally that they do not share the same opinions of the public service as their CFIB leaders and that these so-called leaders are not speaking for the vast majority of small business owners when it comes to public service bashing.
UTE lauds Mr. Baines in standing up for the CRA and its employees, our members, by providing facts and setting the record straight. We would join with Mr. Baines in encouraging the public to take any information advocated by the CFIB leadership “with a large grain of salt”. Even then, it cannot take away the taste of poison dispensed by the CFIB leadership.
Sincerely,
Robert Campbell, National President
Union of Taxation Employees, Public Service Alliance of Canada