Class action suit against the government

Posted By: Laura Casella · 3/5/2013 9:25:00 AM

A citizen fed up with the corruption and collusion allegations coming to light at the Charbonneau Commission is trying to get a class action lawsuit off the ground.

Danika Lalonde is an ordinary Montrealer who believes taxpayers have been ripped off long enough and deserve something in return. 

She is now in the process of looking for a lawyer to work with to get her class action going.

"From watching the news and seeing the corruption in all the industries, and all the money that went through, and our taxes going up, it's just frustrating to see where our money is going," she tells CJAD. 

She is asking in her lawsuit that the government reimburse taxpayers through their income tax. 

But lawyers say this won't be an easy task. CJAD's legal expert Christopher Dimakos says even if she was successful in getting  this suit approved by the courts, and won, the money recouped for the taxpayer would be minimal.

"The problem here is when you do sue the government for tax money, the way that the government would pay you back is with tax money."

Lalonde has set up a Facebook page "Recours collectif suite a la Commission Charbonneau" to bring attention to her fight. She is hoping to get a lawyer on board soon to take this further. 

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  1. JohnH- posted on 03/05/2013 09:51 AM
    Good thought but, we would be suing ourselves. Why not sue the people that are convicted.
  2. Rooster posted on 03/05/2013 10:00 AM
    I think it is a noble attempt to get some sort of accountability from the politicans and civil servants for our tax money. Alas we are suckers in a rigged game. I am working for a corporation so every penny I earn is known by the government. I am subsidizing the fraud and stealing by well paid (and well pensioned) civil servants and politicans.
    Tax payers are going to get shafted because we were shafted. Punished because we are honest and report our income and the graft taken is needed to keep our city and provinces infrastructure together.
    It is depressing ( just see what happens if you owe ten dollars on your property tax) but I wish MME. Lalonde all the luck in the world. I would say that your only hope to reclaim ANY money is to earn and not declare!
  3. Ted Bronk posted on 03/05/2013 10:05 AM
    ""The problem here is when you do sue the government for tax money, the way that the government would pay you back is with tax money."

    The whole premise of suing our governmental is ridiculous.
    They will just increase our taxes to get the money for it.
    1. Theo posted on 03/05/2013 08:49 PM
      @Ted Bronk Brian Mulroney sued the government, so did Maher Arar. Chinese people who were dumped from the immigration wait list sued the government.
  4. Enzo posted on 03/05/2013 10:26 AM
    Ludicrous! Apart from the good point about repaying taxpayers with their own money, how could she prove that any taxpayer had suffered an actual loss personally? Seems to me that if she cannot do that, then there is nothing to compensate. And who would compensate the government for the cost of defending this stupidity?
  5. Pierre Bruno posted on 03/05/2013 09:04 PM
    I agree with Ms Lalonde's effort but also agree with the comments below concerning a financial settlement. However let us consider given one of our children 5 dollars to spend. Would we not ensure that the child spends the money wisely?

    We, as taxpayers, provide our government with funds to run our province's programs. Should we not have a system of accountability in place that provides for punitive action when required? Is it right to continue to tolerate the financial mismanagement of the public purse?

    Why are these individuals provided with imunity from being prosecuted?

    At the very least the class action suit should provide a system of accountability and not protection of the individuals responsible for the mismanagement of the public purse. See what is happening at SNC Lavalin.
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