CBC icon Don Newman to retire

Early retirment? Or maybe Don Newman was simply getting tired of the Editorial interference that he (?) and others at CBC and CBC Radio experienced when trying to report on news topics like Harper’s $35 billion income trust fraud.

April 21, 2009

Don Newman
c/o CBC NEWSWORLD
P.O. Box 3220, Station C
Ottawa, Ont.
K1Y1E4

Dear Don Newman:

Re: Why the income trust issue REFUSES to go away

Your producer Paul Bisson asked me to write you a letter, as I wish to appear on your show to discuss the expose revelations contained in the attached Hill Times article of April 20, 2009 entitled “Why the income trust issue REFUSES to go away” (see attached).

I chose this name for the title because I was inspired by Susan Bonner, who for a long time has wished to report on this phenomenon, but was not given the green light to do so.

An awful lot has changed since then, by way of the global financial meltdown, that brings all the issues of the failed income trust tax into sharp focus.

The income trust matter is one of the greatest policy blunders that this country has seen, as described in my article as well as articles by academics such as Professor Stanbury of UBC in his piece entitled “Leadership? Here’s Ten Reasons Why the Tax on Income Trusts Was a Public Policy “Train Wreck” in the Hill Times September 28 ,2008 as well as by Diane Francis in the Financial Post in a piece entitled “Energy trust tax: dumb and dumber” of March 18, 2008.

This issue was never reported on properly for the simple fact that the media in this country are narrowly and corporately held, and the corporations are the ones who lobbied the government to kill income trusts. Just look at the owners of CTVGlobeMedia and you will know what I mean.

I could go on at length, but I will not. This story and the gross conflicts in the PRIVATE sector media is why we have a PUBLIC sector broadcaster like the CBC. I have enormous respect for you and your show and have had the privilege of appearing on it twice.

Like you, I believe in the “spin stops here”. That said, it’s time that we put to bed all of Flaherty’s spin of “Tax Fairness Plan”, “tax leakage”, “leveling the playing field”, “income splitting for seniors” and the rest of the litany of nonsense on which this policy was packaged and sold.

Please read my article and you will soon know what I mean.

I wish to appear on your show to permit me to advocate on this issue as I have done for the last 2.5 years and have spent 3,000 VOLUNTEER hours of my time on.

I think an interview with you would be great, but so too would be a debate between myself and a proponent of the trust tax.

Pick anyone you wish from Jim Flaherty to Mark Carney to Gwyn Morgan to Tom D’Aquino. I am indifferent, as they do not have a leg to stand on and are petrified of debating this issue, which probably explains why Flaherty turned down my offer to donate $50,000 to a charity of his choice to debate this issue.

That was about three weeks before the 2008 election was called, in which he subsequently learned that the Liberal candidate who opposed him, was me.

Thank you Don. I truly wish and need to be on your BROADCAST for the sake of all taxpaying Canadians.


Brent Fullard
President and CEO
Canadian Association of Income Trust Investors/Taxpayers
www.caiti.info

647 505-2224 (cell)