Liberal Party is Broke

[August1991]

In fact the federal Liberals owe $2.7 million and will have to borrow to finance their election campaign.

Two questions:

Will any advertising agency still offer "employee-priced" services to the Liberals?

Will voters judge politicians by the way they manage party finances?

A quelques mois d'une élection fédérale, le parti de Paul Martin n'a plus d'argent et traîne une dette de plus de 2,7 millions$.

Ironiquement, la loi sur le financement des partis politiques, adoptée il y a 2 ans par le gouvernement Chrétien, fait mal aux libéraux.

Cette loi interdit les dons des grandes entreprises aux partis et limite à 5000$ les dons des individus. De plus, le récent scandale des commandites, dont des sommes d'argent auraient permis de financer la caisse du parti, nuit aux libéraux.

A l'opposé, les conservateurs auraient plus de 20 millions de dollars dans leurs coffres en vue de la prochaine campagne électorale.

Quebecor

Les troupes libérales de Paul Martin traînent en effet une dette combinée de 2,7 millions de dollars, a appris La Presse. Pis encore, les dons des individus ne sont pas au rendez-vous depuis que le gouvernement fédéral a adopté il y a deux ans une loi sur le financement des partis politiques qui interdit les dons des grandes entreprises aux partis et limite à 5000 $ les dons des individus.

La Presse

[mirror]

Perhaps you are suggesting that the Conservatives are going to try and buy the next election. I doubt the Liberals are broke - they just had a couple of fund-raisers last week, and don't forget the new electoral law that pays, what is it, $1.75 per person per year to the respective political parties based on the number of votes they received in the last election.

Intersting though, as for once, the New Democrats are going to go into an election campaign financially well healed. It should make some kind of a difference if the New Democrats can spend on an equal footing as the other parties.

[mcqueen625]

Not to fear, I'm sure all of those advertising agencies, and many other's we probably haven't found out about yet will simply give back to the Liberal Party money they were not entitled to in the first place.

Maybe some of the money misplaced from HRDC will reappear in Liberal Party coffers.

[mcqueen625]

I used to vote exclusively NDP, but that was when they actually represented the working man/woman in this country, and that has not been in quite some time. Alexia was the leader who stopped all that and brought the NDP to the middle of the political spectrum, as if we need a thrid Party in the middle, now they really represent big business just like the rest. The only Party that actually represents the people is the Bloc, and they are only a one province party, what a shame. Myself, I wouldn't vote NDP now if they were the only Party running, not after they climbed into bed with the likes of Martin.

[newbie]

Myself, I wouldn't vote NDP now if they were the only Party running, not after they climbed into bed with the likes of Martin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess little things like housing and environment don't affect you. Well, they affect tens of thousands of people. And Martin, unlike Harper, was willing to cooperate with party leaders. Seems to me to be the essence of a democratic system.

[Bakunin]

The liberal's black hand will take care of it...

[Leader Circle]

Myself, I wouldn't vote NDP now if they were the only Party running, not after they climbed into bed with the likes of Martin.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess little things like housing and environment don't affect you. Well, they affect tens of thousands of people. And Martin, unlike Harper, was willing to cooperate with party leaders. Seems to me to be the essence of a democratic system.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He is willing to kiss anyone's ass when he needs the support is what you should have said noobie.

Funny how blind you get when you become a Liberal.

[mirror]

If you had an accurate memory you would remember that we had just had an election in June, 2004, and the citizens of Canada felt it was too early for another election. But no Harper, by allying himself with the separatists, who of course will take any opportunity to make the Canadian government look bad, and listening only to the beat of his own drummer, tried to bring the government down, but failed, when the Speaker of the House cast the tie-breaking vote.

To prevent that, and the real heroes for listening and respecting the people's wishes, the Layton New Democrats propped up the government and got $4.6 billion for the average Canadian in environmental protection, housing, foreign aid, and education. How about that!

I wonder what the NDP is going to get for us average Canadians this Fall to continue to keep the government propped up.

[Leader Circle]

If you had an accurate memory you would remember that we had just had an election in June, 2004, and the citizens of Canada felt it was too early for another election. But no Harper, by allying himself with the separatists, who of course will take any opportunity to make the Canadian government look bad, and listening only to the beat of his own drummer, tried to bring the government down, but failed, when the Speaker of the House cast the tie-breaking vote.

To prevent that, and the real heroes for listening and respecting the people's wishes, the Layton New Democrats propped up the government and got $4.6 billion for the average Canadian in environmental protection, housing, foreign aid, and education. How about that!

I wonder what the NDP is going to get for us average Canadians this Fall to continue to keep the government propped up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The only thing worse than a blind Liberal is a tree-hugging NDPer. The NDP did nothing but grab some money away from well-needed tax cuts, to support their artsy fartsy, lazy ass, welfare bums, so that they don't have to go to work again this year. Those tax cuts would have probably jump started some companies in need and bolstered the economy. Instead, lets give it to the lazy people, so we can head towards our cozy "welfare state".

We need a lesser government that is more accountable to it's people!! Not a socialist gov't.

[mirror]

Yup, you have the good ole Conservative attitude: Screw what the average working person wants, let's give more and more and more to the rich. NO THANKS!

[B. Max]

All leftists have one guiding principle that they share, and that is to reward failure by punishing success, and to some extent they all practice the politics of envey. Although the further left you go the more obvious it becomes.

[August1991]

Perhaps you are suggesting that the Conservatives are going to try and buy the next election. I doubt the Liberals are broke - they just had a couple of fund-raisers last week, and don't forget the new electoral law that pays, what is it, $1.75 per person per year to the respective political parties based on the number of votes they received in the last election.

Not to fear, I'm sure all of those advertising agencies, and many other's we probably haven't found out about yet will simply give back to the Liberal Party money they were not entitled to in the first place.

I don't know whether to cry or to laugh.

I did a Google News search in French on "Parti Libéral financement" and got several hits about this. In English, using "Liberal Party Finance Canada" and various other formulations, I got basically nothing.

English Canada does not seem to be interested that its governing party is broke, in fact in debt. On this thread, the attitude seems to be that the omnipotent Liberals cannot be broke or they will just steal their way out of their financial problems anyway. I have no explanation for the lack of interest elsewhere. (Is there a discussion of this I have not seen?)

----

The La Presse article makes plain that Chretien's financing law has made life difficult for the Liberals. The cost of a national campaign is about $20 million. The Liberals will apparently receive about $9 million in federal funds. They are over $2 million in the hole now. Do the math. The article makes it plain that the Liberals are having alot of trouble soliciting "small" donations (maximum $5000) from many people.

The article even adds that the Liberals have had to cut back on polling because of a lack of funds. (No doubt some, ever believing Liberal omnipotence, will interpret this news as an apparent move to sincerity.)

The Conservatives have about $20 million. The article explains that the Conservatives have no trouble rounding up the under $5000 contributors.

Our Right Honourable Prime Minister recently flew to Edmonton at taxpayer expense so that he could collect about $200,000 for the Liberal party - about 40 Albertans gave him cheques of $5000 each.

What gives?

Will the Liberals borrow the money for the upcoming campaign? Will they get the money under the table - or rather, slid across the table? Does money in a campaign really matter?

For those that can read French, I suggest you read Joël-Denis Bellavance's longish article in La Presse, linked above.