Tory Election Funding

Minority Watch

You really have to wonder. You listen to the campaign speeches and ads from the last election, then you watch the Ethics Committee hearings about how it is alleged that the federal party was deliberately swindling the taxpayers while giving themself an edge on running ads. I mean wasn’t it stephen harper who kept promising to restore integrity and open government?

Yet here is his own government, involved in what is really theft. To send money to local campaigns, have them send it back unspent, then get them to claim it for re-embursements, is worse than any sponsorship scandal could be. Sure, that was about giving cronies added monies, for advertising that just didn’t take off, but this is about trying to actually fudge an election, to garner an advantage as well as to make personal money.

The elections agency alleges that the Conservatives exceeded their $18.3 million spending limit on campaign advertising by more than $1 million in 2006 by disguising national ads as local expenses.

Such a scheme would give the party a spending edge and set candidates up to claim undeserved federal campaign subsidies. Elections Canada has refused to approve hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates claimed by Tory candidates (source - CBC News)

Frankly it doesn’t surprised me in the least; i mean really, this is the same man who gave a former Liberal a cabinet post, who made his own fund raiser a Senator then cabinet minister, so why should anyone be surprised? After all, he did learn from George Bush how to attack, and how to hide the truth. Then too, his best buddy is none other than Brian Mulroney, the man who said. under oath, that he didn’t know Schreiber, but did take a few hundred grand in cash from him. But hey, just like Harper, he claims not to have done anything wrong.

Like anyone can believe that?

still it is what this particular brand of Conservatives seem to expect. And as much as I dislike them, what choices do we have? I really am not seeing the other political parties stepping up, though both Layton & Dion seem to be finding their backbone. I hope so, because this country simply cannot afford anymore of this type of Government. Like their telecommunication auction that is supposed to make things more competitive, yet has only caused two players to increase charges for many of its customers. So much for deregulation, but then we should know that from surviving the Mulroney era.

One thing is certain. By being a minority government, we might actually get some answers, some real truth. If they were in a majority, there is no doubt this would never see the light of day.

Ian @ August 12, 2008