A New York congressman wants to enlist the U.S. secretary of state to oppose what he calls Ottawa's ``discriminatory'' campaign against foreign property owners.
Rep. Brian Higgins is asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to officially object to Canada's new federal tax on underused, foreign-owned housing, which is coming due in April.
The one per cent levy applies to certain foreign non-resident owners of Canadian property located in areas with a core population of at least 10,000 people.
As of January, the federal government has also imposed a new two-year ban on the purchase of property in Canada by foreign non-residents.
John DeLuce, a Buffalo resident who spent 28 years in Congress, bought a cottage in Fort Erie, Ont., shortly after his retirement in 2003.
DeLuce says he is offended by the measures, which he considers an affront to the unique Canada-U.S. relationship he helped to cultivate during nearly three decades on Capitol Hill.