You know what? People get in bad financial straits for all kinds of reasons, not always neglect. And in most cases it is not a crime. I have friends who are deep in debt, and family members who have declared bankruptcy several times.and I have to ask why you see this as a betrayal? Someone's debts are between them and Revenue Canada, and once they are paid it is done.
None of this is even a drop in the bucket compared to large businesses which have far more resources and still do this all the time when it is to their advantage.
If being poor is not a shame, having debts to settle certainly isn't either. It is neither your nor my business.
I'll admit to a small amount of hypocrisy here: if Tyrone were a private citizen, I'd probably go to the wall defending him. But he's not. He's one of the 308 men and women who have the power of the purse, and vote on how much my wife and I pay in taxes.
Obviously what Tyrone has done isn't even 1% of the fraud companies like Apple perpetrate upon us. And I'm not even saying it's a crime, or that Tyrone is a criminal; that's between him, the CRA, and the Crown prosecutor.
You say he's "trying to justify [not paying his taxes] in the public eye". But here's what he said (from the OP):
"The life of an artist isn't always easy. I have had lean periods," he said. "I have lived in precarious conditions, not knowing what the future had in store for me, sometimes without a contract for several weeks, or even months. I have had to juggle bills."My situation has prevented me from fulfilling all of my tax obligations and I am truly sorry. I recognize that it is my responsibility and I will fulfill it directly and personally."
A whole lot of us have had lean periods. A whole lot of us have had weeks or months where we haven't known where our next meal was coming from. And as far as I know, at the bottom of the income ladder, CRA hasn't given a shit about hearing this from any of us -- especially an immigrant and his wife who's sponsoring him for immigration. Right-wing populism has successfully sold the idea that neither I nor my wife can apply for social assistance within a multi-year window of my application, because otherwise we'd be parasites seeking to suck the last taxpayer dollar from the naïve and generous Canadian teat.
And since you know him personally, and feel betrayed (I don't get that, but I respect your feelings) - why do you think he didn't pay his taxes, if not for the reasons he himself gave?? Because if the reasons he gave are the real ones, then the worst you can accuse him of is poor management of his personal finances. I'll be pleading guilty to that charge shortly myself.
I'm not trying to imply any kind of chicanery here. I think he gave the real reasons for not paying his taxes. I also happen to personally find, from the perspective of a deeply struggling immigrant, those real reasons tin-eared and completely unacceptable. It reminds me of New Yorkers who complain that $1 million a year isn't enough to live on...once they spend it all. I haven't managed my finances well either. My wife and I have had to pay absolutely crippling penalties for many things that weren't our doing. And for Tyrone to appeal to public sympathy when his tax bill is more than we made in the entire period in question rubs me very, very wrong.
I don't know what Tyrone's finances are like. I do know what some of my friends who are sporadically-employed actors' finances are like. And now that Tyrone's an elected MP, him playing the starving-artist card fills me with indignation. If you owe $58,000 in taxes, chances are you weren't spending those years on the corner begging for change. I was. And given that we sat down together and discussed the plight of the working poor, I can't really reconcile your words with your deeds.