With many accountability measures to be introduced, the Act will change the way business is done in Ottawa by:
Banning corporate and union donations, while limiting personal donations to $1,000.
An interesting proposal, but even the current public campaign financing laws combined with the $1,000 personal donation limits would still leave the parties with much less money to fight elections with than they do now. Given the rising cost of campaigns, perhaps raising the personal donation limits or allowing money to be donated through PACs as in the States would be preferable, and would actually level the playing field with a government that can spend public money unofficially on pre-campaign promises and programs.
Overhauling lobbying laws and banning all ministers, ministerial staffers or senior public officials from lobbying government for five years after leaving their post.
This would severely hamper the activities of many lobbying organizations and government relations consultancies by reducing the available talent pool of experienced people. I don't think this proposal will survive in actual legislation, but lengthening the moratorium on lobbying one's former department from one to three years would be a more workable compromise.
Give more power to the Lobbyists Registrar, Ethics Commissioner, Information Commissioner and the Auditor General.
Make them all answerable solely to Parliament for their appointment and removal, not just the Prime Minister.
Give the Auditor General a mandate to conduct a complete review of the more than $30 billion in annual federal grants, contributions and contracts.
Let's hope the Auditor General can get inside these taxpayer-funded foundations, where billions of dollars have been squirrelled away beyond anyone's power to investigate.
All in all, a good start!
And proof that we're not only just complaining about corruption, but unlike the NDP, we will do something about it other than look the other way in exchange for a few measly bribes!
Source: Conservative Party of Canada
5 comments:
Why won't Harper tell us who donated to his leadership campaign? Who paid off McKay's $500,000 debt?
Harper needs to come clean if he is to be believed.
Why won't Harper tell us who donated to his leadership campaign? Who paid off McKay's $500,000 debt?
Harper needs to come clean if he is to be believed.
Man ! Brison's squad is polluting comments with the same rant in a couple of blogs.
It should be interesting to know from which IP or web address it comes from ...
Harper's contributions (and the other candidates, too) have been posted on the CPC website for months.
http://www.conservative.ca/EN/key_documents
I'm not sure where you get the idea that a limit of $1000 would be a terrible stumbling block in campaign fundraising.
With roughly 30 million Canadians, if even 1/2 of one percent of all Canadians made a contribution of $100 to one party, that would still equal $15 million.
Considering that the Conservatives have the biggest war chest presently at $7.6 million, I don't know how that would be a problem.
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