The underground economy is toxic. It costs jobs, makes it harder for above-board businesses to compete and ruins faith in our tax system. It can also leave you holding the bag when you get sub-par results or someone gets burned in a cash deal. But there is something we can all do, and it's simple.

There is no doubt that fighting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance will mean confronting very powerful interests who will push back with a large arsenal of resources, from public relations to lawsuits. We, as parliamentarians, cannot be intimidated.

When it comes to acting as executor of an estate, there is no shortage of responsibilities that should be carefully reviewed prior to accepting the role. One of the most fundamental duties is that all estate related income tax documents are filed and in good standing.

Not terrorists, white-collar crooks, or climate change -- it seems the real threat to Canadian society hides behind a much friendlier face: charities. Or to be more specific, charities critical of the Canadian government. This week it was made public that the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) is auditing PEN Canada for its "political activities." In 2012, the Canadian government earmarked $8 million of the CRA's budget for auditing political activities, and then upped that amount again to $13 million. In a time of austerity, there is still a plenty of money to go after enemies of our federal government.