clash of the Canadian titans

One of the things I find refreshing about Japan is that it makes Canadian bureaucracy look like a harmless triviality by comparison.

Speaking as someone who's founded companies in both countries, I can state without a doubt that Japan's bureaucracy is far, far more restrictive as well as expensive to deal with. And the immigration system here is downright astonishing—no two foreigners can even agree on the rules based on all of the conflicting experiences we seem to have in dealing with the Japanese powers that be.

And yet every now and then when a Canadian titan awakes and tries to throw its weight around, it can still be felt. Such was the case when the Canadian Revenue Agency (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) decided after a year of silence to throw another demand for money at me. It was, in fact, a duplicate request for a bill I'd long since paid.

Exasperated, I wondered how I might prove to them that I'd received the funds. Had I received a receipt? Thinking about a moment I realized that I could enlist the help of another fine Canadian juggernaut. My "big six" bank.

Looking through my account's history, I quickly found the proof I was looking at. Almost exactly a year ago, I had paid Revenue Canada almost to the penny the amount they were now asking for. The bank even provided a scan of the cancelled cheque, a service I'd not previously known existed.

Using one big fumbling organization to fight another. Satisfying.