The problem is ongoing. The latest example came to light just this week after the Royal Bank refused to let a Canadian citizen open a U.S.-dollar bank account in one of its Montreal branches – because he was born in Iran.
Payam Eslami, 27, moved to Canada when he was 8.
The bank's explanation was that if it wants to do business in the U.S., it must strictly follow American law. American laws discriminate against people from certain countries that Washington doesn't like, including Iran and Cuba.
All of which would have been fine if Eslami had been attempting to open a bank account in, say, Syracuse. But at last count, Montreal was still part of Canada. And in Canada it is illegal and unconstitutional to discriminate against individuals on the base of nationality.
Not that the Canadian government seems to care.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/173009
[Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on January 22, 2007]
Note: http://www.thestar.com/...
Canada Still Lets U.S. Laws Apply Here
Posted on Sunday, January 21 at 10:59 by 4CanadaContributed By
Topic
Article Rating
(0 votes)
Options
Stumble It!Comments
view comments in forum
Page 1
They aren't? How would you feel if the bank you deal with is the Royal Bank? Would you close the account, talk to the manager or retaliate somehow? I deal with a Credit Union but have my morgage through another historical bank. Should I discover the bank or CU runs under American rules, do I close the accounts, loose the contributions and start over? Banks own our souls one way or the other. We can by all means attempt to have our so-called government do something. There are reasons Canadians become apathetic. They get tired of fighting futile battles. Fightin all the governments or making demands of them is more then posting on a blog.
---
Expect little from life and get more from it.
<a href="http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20070105082526623">http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/20070105082526623</a><br />
because I could have made a separate posting out if it - which would have predated this RBC mess.<br />
<br />
It is true, one can change banks and credit unions easily. But I believe the Royal Bank of Canada should be taken to task by the Caandian Bankers Association - for the obvious discrimination that is taking place.
Dats a nice belief, Jacob, and somewhat akin to askin' the fox to guard the hen-house'
---
[juris ignorantia est cum jus nostrum ignoramus]
it is ignorance of the law when we do not know our own rights"
lex ferenda