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April 7, 2011
While the Conservative campaign tricks of 2006 are becoming abundantly clear,
the ones of 2011 will take a while to surface. Hopes were high in 2006 that a
newly elected prime minister would sweep parliament clear of the Liberal
"sponsorship scandal". Tory ads resonated with voters. "How is it that millions
of dollars go missing and no one is in jail?" asked a woman in a 2006 campaign
ad. Conservative leader Stephen Harper's scripted response was: "Well look who's
in charge, I mean these guys can't even tell the difference between right and
wrong."
While Harper was preaching honesty, he was practicing the deceit - - now known
as the "in-and-out" scheme. Even Conservative candidates found it dishonest, one
of those being David Marler. "When I got a call from a party operative telling
me they were going move $30,000 into my campaign account, my heart took blip."
That money would be greatly appreciated. But those hopes were dashed in a
heartbeat. "Then he told me I had to sign a form that was being faxed that
allowed the party to transfer the money back out." When Marler questioned the
transfer, the operative said "as a party member, do as you are told." But as a
lawyer, Marler knew better and told the caller that he wouldn't because he was
legally responsible for his account.
No sooner that one operative rudely
hung up, another called, this time distinctly polite; apparently a variation on
the good-cop, bad-cop technique. Again Marler explained that he needed to know
what was going on before he would agree. And again, no satisfactory answer was
given. "I knew instinctively this wasn't right. It's elementary that you don't
let people into to your bank account and do things you know nothing about. I
wouldn't let members of my own family do that."
Marler wasn't alone. He was one of just 67 candidates who were given money only
to have it withdrawn; a suspicious act in a campaign that supposedly promoted
the virtue. Other Conservative candidates didn't think it passed the smell test.
Joe Goudie, who was out on the campaign trail at the time, didn't have a chance
to turn down the offer. When he got back to his office, his financial agent told
him of the transfer of money in and out of his account. "It didn't smell right,"
said Goudie.
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It didn't smell right to Elections Canada either. Not only because the
scheme was designed to circumvent campaign spending limits but because many
of the candidates claimed election expenses on funds they never raised. They
deceptively received refunds of 60 per cent of money not spent in their
ridings. These included four cabinet ministers, all with the knowledge and
approval of Prime Minister Harper. Harper lamely claimed that Election
Canada was out to get him.
Recently, the Federal Appeals Court agreed with Election Canada. They say
that the Harper's Conservatives deliberately circumvented election law in
order to overspend on the very campaign in which the PM was chastising
others for fraud.
Additionally, Canada's public prosecutor has charged Harper's Conservatives
and four of its officials with "willfully exceeding election spending
limits." It's a blow to the Conservatives who had initially defended their
actions by saying that everyone was doing it. But there is no evidence of
that and Election Canada has not accused anyone else. And even if everyone
was defrauding taxpayers, didn't Harper promise to do things differently?
Candidate Marler was rewarded for his honesty by being dumped by the
Conservatives in the 2008 election but now he feels vindicated. "It is
gratifying to note that the Federal Court of Appeal has come to the same
opinion, which always seemed to me to be obvious. I think they're doing the
right thing by prosecuting the alleged offenders."
"Canada's New Government," as Prime Minister Harper called his government in
2006, aged quickly. In fact, it grew old before taking office. After five
years it's now the "Harper Government," a label the PM may live to regret.
Each time he forms a minority government it reminds Canadians of his
inability to gain the confidence of the majority of voters. And it reminds
voters that Harper is capable of devious tricks like the in-and-out scheme.
On a positive note, voters will probably be spared any admonishments from
the PM to throw out corrupt politicians out of government.
David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at
dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca
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