Hey Stephen, Thomas, Justin and Elizabeth…we’re up here
Tuesday, August 4, 2015 @ 3:45 AM
By Bill Phillips
Get out your oxygen tanks, this one’s going to be a marathon.
The federal election campaign officially got underway Sunday and with the election set for October 19, it will be a long, long campaign. The length of the campaign almost undoubtedly means it will get nasty, as everyone in the country gets weary of the rhetoric, dogma, and duplicity. And nasty is what Stephen Harper and the Conservatives do best, so a long campaign works in their favour. That and, of course, how the new election rules (brought in by the Conservatives) blatantly favour the political party with the most money.
Harper did touch on lengthy campaign duration Sunday, saying “it’s important that these campaigns be funded by the parties themselves rather than taxpayers.”
Fair enough, however he conveniently glossed over the fact that parties are reimbursed a portion of what they spend by Elections Canada, depending on how much they spend. So, the Conservative Party, should it spend the most during this campaign, will also benefit the most when Elections Canada (i.e. the taxpayers) reimburse the parties.
Yes, it’s important these campaigns be funded by the parties rather than the taxpayers. Too bad the new reality, created by the Conservatives, doesn’t achieve that goal. A goal that the Conservative leader seems to think is in place. Is he just not aware, or could he have been obfuscating on the day the election was called? Hmmm.
One of the questions in Prince George is whether any of the main party leaders will campaign here. With a two-and-a-half month campaign, there’s certainly enough time for all of them to campaign in our fair city. In 2011, Jack Layton was the only leader to venture into B.C.’s northern capital. Will that change in 2015?
It was one of the first questions NDP leader Thomas Mulcair would have faced (not) had he only stuck around to actually answer questions after his press conference to launch the campaign.
Oh, by the way, if Harper actually does come to Prince George during the campaign, good luck getting to see him, unless you’re a Conservative insider. As in 2011, attending a Harper campaign event will be invite-only. You have to have a ticket to get in.
Yup, real man of the people, that one.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver Sunday and in Calgary Monday, so he flew by Prince George.
Is it too much to ask of those who seek our help in achieving power and greatness that they actually come and visit those of us who might put them there?
Bill Phillips is a freelance columnist living in Prince George. He was the winner of the 2009 Best Editorial award at the British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspaper Association’s Ma Murray awards, in 2007 he won the association’s Best Columnist award. In 2004, he placed third in the Canadian Community Newspaper best columnist category and, in 2003, placed second. He can be reached at billphillips1@mac.com
Comments
Yes, yet another left leaning orange scented Editorial by Bill Phillips… eye roll!
Another anti Harper whine-fest. I could barely read it all.
Bill should read his own column. The parties are reimbursed by Elections Canada a portion of what they spend. He then states that the Conservatives will spend the most and therefore be reimbursed the most.
So what?? The amount reimbursed is based on spending. The money for spending comes from the people who support the various parties. So in essence the amount that the parties get back is based on the amount of MONETARY support they get from their members or the public at large.
So, whats the problem. Is he suggesting that all parties should get a like amount.?? If so I would form a party toot sweet and get in on the cash bonanza.
WHAT a slanted editorial… Who left him alone in the office??? Just trying to fill space???
… Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver Sunday and in Calgary Monday, so he flew by Prince George.
How does one FLY BY PG if they are in Vancouver…
Who wants to PAY to go see Harper… If you have to pay to see a leader, might as well tell him to sign up with TicketMaster.. I most certainly wouldn’t pay.
What Bill conveniently leaves out is just WHO put in the legislation that mandates ANY of our tax money goes to re-imburse political Parties for what they spend to try to get their candidates elected. It certainly wasn’t Stephen Harper. Yet Bill seemingly tries to make the case this shouldn’t be when he says, “Yes, it’s important these campaigns be funded by the parties rather than the taxpayers.” To me this is just another obfuscating example of the way those so desperate to do anything to discredit the Conservatives and Stephen Harper play their politics. It’s quite alright to do the other side dirt, as the Liberal Party has been past masters at doing, but quite a different thing when your opponent turns the tables on you. It just isn’t going to work, Bill. That’s why the Liberals are in third place, which, even if the NDP screws up and again snatches defeat from the jaws of victory, as it seems to be so fond of doing, they’ll most likely stay.
I saw all of the leaders named in the headline and got excited… but nope, got sucked in to another lefty whinefest. I think I shall avoid any opinion pieces on here for the next ten weeks.
Watched the speeches yesterday and was very impressed with Justin Trudeau. Mulclair seemed nervous and too well scripted. Trudeau also took questions – not 5 questions but as many as the reporters wanted to ask. Seemed that the reporters were the ones unprepared. I think that all politics are local and I am also impressed with Todd Doherty and I am not a traditional Conservative voter. He is out there from one end of the region to the other. Seems like we might be getting some active representation after years of the Harris neglect. I am torn right now because as I said I am not usually a Conservative voter. I am one of those undecideds.
palopu says, “The amount reimbursed is based on spending. The money for spending comes from the people who support the various parties. So in essence the amount that the parties get back is based on the amount of MONETARY support they get from their members or the public at large. ”
If that were only so. In fact most Conservative money comes from corporate sponsors. It has been shown over and over again that Rightist parties are bought by companies. Consider this, corporate donations come from profits and are tax deductible. Profits come from the purchaser, who is predominantly the same as the taxpayer. So the taxpayer gets to pay twice, once by higher prices caused to recoup corporate donations and once from reduced taxes being recouped either by increases to other taxes or by Harper increasing federal debt.
I like your logic ammonra. But you could expand it to company donates to political party that will best enable him to stay in business and retain profits to replace aging equipment as well as grow the business with the result that he and his employees still have jobs and continue to pay taxes vs a party who sees profits as a source of more tax revenue to expand social programs which has the effect of crippling the businesses ability to survive and creates a downward economic spiral.
The irony is as a small business owner I don’t see any of the 3 as a particularly good choice. I fear the NDP most not because of their socialist leaning, but because they are heavily indebted to Quebec for their political survival which more than likely means La Belle province will demand an ever bigger piece of the federal pie in exchange for their loyalty and the NDP will have no choice but to tax me more to keep Quebec happy.
People do not understand, neither does Bill (although he probably just chooses not to understand) that what the PM meant was parties should pay for their campaigns – he DID explain it thus during the conference in case you missed it Bill – if he did not call the election the opposition and a hundred thousand bloggers would say the Conservatives were using public money on their campaign while the other parties have to wait until he formally calls it. It is a damned if you do and damned if you don’t scenario so just call it already, and he did.
Harper = Kock brother money. G W Bush also = Kock brother money.
Seems to me that Corporate donations are not allowed in Canada.
A good rebuttal to Palopu’s comment ammonra. I was going to mention the same but see that you have already… and you are correct, it is corporations that provide the majority of campaign financing to the Conservatives NOT “people” as Palopu erroneously states. Hmmm… I wonder how much Enbridge donated to the Harper Conservative campaign war chest?
Hey out to lunch Palpou, if Imperial Metals can donate over $200,000 to the BC Liberal campaign fund, as do most other corporations, what makes you think they are not contributing at the federal level?
“How political parties and candidates at the federal level are funded in Canada is described by issues such as funding mechanisms, relative levels of public and private funding, levels of democratic participation, and questions of fairness and transparency.”
So there you have it Palopu, the last part of the above statement sets the conditions of “fairness and transparency”, both of which are lacking in the Conservative government… can anyone say; in and out scandal?
Looks like Imperial Mines donated zip to the feds. Seems most of the Cons support is coming from regular people.
http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=ces&document=part6&lang=e
Contribution Limits
Major changes to the political financing regime that came into effect in 2004 and 2007 set limits on political contributions (adjusted annually for inflation). The most important, indexed as of 2012, are as follows:
A citizen or permanent resident of Canada can give up to $1,200 each year in total to each registered political party; up to $1,200 each year in total to the registered electoral district associations, nomination contestants and candidates of each registered party; up to $1,200 in total to the leadership contestants of a registered party in a particular contest; and up to $1,200 for a particular election to each candidate who is not endorsed by a registered party.
Corporations and trade unions may not make contributions to political entities.
I’d pay to see Elizabeth May give a another wine fueled rant. We need some comedy from our politicians.
Speaking of comedy from our politicians, isn’t that what we have had from our sitting government over the past eight years?
http: //tinyurl.com/pk4qg42
Too bad he, along with a number of other Conservatives, are in jail… would have loved to see him “whine” and cry in parliament again.
Speaking of comedy from our politicians, isn’t that what we have had from our sitting government over the past eight years?
——
“I’m entitled to my entitlements” stills remains as my number one comedic routine from a politician.
As for comedic reference, nothing speaks more to the alternate reality that Cons live in then when telling a bold faced lie to parliament is described as “misspoke”.
Hey everyone, I didn’t “lie” I just misspoke! That is the Harper Con upside down, wrong is right, world we live in these days. It’s kind of like “I just put her out of her misery” ~ Cody Leggebokoff … a nice way of framing murder don’t you think.
IMO Harper is a misogynistic sociopath, but hey, that’s just my opinion of him.
I say let them all duke it out, Royal Rumlble Wedgie match. Who has the toughest ginch on. Lying and stealing from taxpayers won’t stop anytime soon. That is a reality in this world, in every country, every province, state, in all forms of governments and election campaigns. Some just appropriate funds more slurpee style than others.
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