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LIBERAL PARTY'S LITTLE FUNDRAISING WAYS

The Liberal government was embarrassed in July 2005, when Elections Canada released the 2004 figures for the financial contributions made to our nation's political parties. These figures reflected the first year in which political parties, under the 2003 amendments to the Elections Act, banned corporate and union donations, requiring the political parties to rely on individual donor contributions up to $5,000.00 only, and government grants which, under the Act allows $1.75 for each vote received during the last election.

The embarrassment to the Liberals was because the data laid bare the fact that the Conservatives had received more than twice the amount in contributions from individual donors than the Liberals. The Tories received $10.9 million from 68,000 individual Canadians, whereas the Liberals received only $5.2 million in donations from 17,501 individuals. The Liberals were barely ahead of the NDP, which raised $5.1 million from 30,097 individuals. The Bloc Quebecois raised $892,117.

But, not to worry, the Liberals have their own little ways to make up for any loss of income. For example:

• On March 14, 2005 the Liberals held a secret $5,000 a head cocktail party in Calgary with Mr. Martin in attendance. This drew 40 - 50 people and created a $200,000 plus bonanza for the Liberal party. This adds up to 9% of the contributions that the party received in the first quarter of 2005. The Liberals held a similar private cocktail party on March 30, 2005 in Oakville, Ontario, with Mr. Martin also in attendance at $5,000 a head. Then, in July, Mr. Martin flew to Timmins, Ontario, to attend another cocktail party and then he was off to Edmonton in mid August for another intimate cocktail party for 35 donors at $5,000.00 a head. These cocktail parties justifiably raise eyebrows since they amount to selling access to the Prime Minister. No wonder the Prime Minister's office kept these events secret and wanted no photographers and press around when they took place.

  Moreover, on each trip, flight records obtained through Access to Information by the New Democratic Party, shows that Mr. Martin flew to the fundraisers on the government's Challenger jet. The Prime Minister's Office claims Mr. Martin is obliged to ride the government jet for security reasons. Even so, since Mr. Martin's travels were for partisan purposes, why should the taxpayers' pick up the costs of the Challenger? The Liberal party should pay back the costs of the Prime Minister's partisan travel - but that's not how the Liberals operate.

• In May 2005, Prime Minister Martin went on a patronage appointing spree and approved 450 Orders-in-Council (rubber stamped by the Cabinet), which distributed lucrative jobs and appointments to the party's generous friends and supporters. These appointments were 40% more in number than in the same period last year. There is nothing like a patronage appointment to encourage gift giving to the party and also to thank donors for gifts gratefully received.
  
  
• The Liberals have a genuine talent for "losing" taxpayers' money that never seems to be recovered. Remember the $1 billion loss created by the Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) administered by the hapless Minister and Chrétien favourite, Jane Stewart? Nobody really knows where that money went. We can be confident however, that a substantial part of it at least, fell into the outstretched hands of Liberal supporters. The Gomery Commission tried its best to follow the $250 million that was "lost" before the 2000 federal election. According to testimony presented to the Commission, this money seems to have fallen again into the outstretched hand of Liberal supporters who were willing to "help" the party - with private donations to the party. The money for the donations, however, was provided by the Liberal government itself by way of contracts for work that was never done. Hefty pay-offs were given to the donors for passing the taxpayers' money along to the Liberal party.



• Another scheme by the Liberals to lose money was revealed by the Globe and Mail (August 17, 20 and 24, 2005) when the Liberal government gave $35 million to the Toronto Port Authority (TPA). The TPA, whose operations are vague at best, was established under the Canada Marine Act. It has three Liberal politicians involved in administering it. They are: Transport Minister, Jean Lapierre; Immigration Minister, Joe Volpe; and Toronto MP, Tony Ianno.
  
  Because of the Port Authority's mysterious ways, it is known locally as "Little Mexico-on-the-Lake." The $35 million was allegedly given to the Toronto Port Authority to settle a law suit. However, not a single lawsuit against the federal government or any of its agencies, or the Port Authority itself has ever been filed. Nobody knows the names of the beneficiaries, none of whom have filed a claim for this money. What is also most peculiar is that the Port Authority is prohibited under the Marine Act from receiving any government subsidies. In short, who got this money - and why? Who were the lobbyists in all this? It's a safe bet that Liberal supporters were closely involved and no doubt there was a generous kickback to the Liberal party. In the Liberal scheme of things, however, the money involved ($35 million) is a trifle, nothing more than loose change, and the public apparently should not bother about it. New Democratic Party leader and Toronto area MP Jack Layton raised a question about this lost $35 million in the House of Commons (Hansard: June 7, 2005 p. 6728) but none of the three Liberal politicians involved, nor the Port Authority itself, have ever bothered to respond to his and other enquiries about the "lost" money.
  
  This raises the question as to how many other little cubby holes across this country does the Liberal government stash the taxpayers' money for its own purposes? The public has only stumbled over a few of these Liberal fundraising schemes, but we can be confident that there are many others hidden from view and sadly removed from the reach of Auditor General Sheila Fraser. Certainly, Mrs. Fraser won't be able to look into the $35 million grant to the Toronto Port Authority because the Marine Act conveniently provides that the Toronto Port Authority is not an agent of the Crown except in restricted circumstances, that happily (for the Liberals), does not apply in this case. Therefore, the grant is out of reach not only of Mrs. Fraser, but also of Parliament, since the Toronto Port Authority is legally a separate entity from the government.



• The February 2005 budget failed to predict (to no one's surprise) that there would be yet another record breaking multi-billion dollar surplus. This year's surplus (the 2004 - 2005 fiscal year) will be $8 billion or more, in comparison to the modest $3 billion surplus forecast by the Minister of Finance in February. In fact, the economic think tank, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives forecasts a surplus of $9.5 billion this year and predicts the surplus will surge to $11.3 billion in the 2006 fiscal year. The budget surplus in the last eight fiscal years amounts to nearly $70 billion dollars. That's a great deal of tax payers' money which the Liberals are using to ramp up their spending, as well as to help themselves to fund their election expenses, according to testimony given at the Gomery hearings as described above. The government, apart from its promise to set aside $3 billion as a contingency fund, has been unclear as to what it plans to do with the rest of the surplus.

In short, if it were not for the forthcoming election, there would not be a tax cut, since it's far more usual for the Liberal government's "needs" to take priority over the needs of Canadian families - except, of course, in self interest during an election.

All in all, the Liberals have established over its many years in power, a number of techniques to ensure the party remains in power. The Liberals leave little to chance. The Canadian taxpayers' interests and perspectives play only a minor role in the Liberals scenario.

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