From: brewnoser2@gmail.com   
      
   ipolitics.ca/ - | Mar 30, 2015    
      
   Mysterious conservative group finds way around political spending limits   
      
   The Conservative Party of Canada's former executive director has set up what   
   could be a game-changing new organization to raise money and promote the   
   benefits of "a strong, stable Conservative government"    
   while bypassing the legal limits on fundraising faced by political parties,   
   iPolitics has learned.   
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   Conservative Voice is actively seeking donations from companies to help it   
   counter Liberal and NDP viewpoints it says are being funded by institutions   
   "on the left of the political spectrum."   
      
   "Conservative Voice believes that Canada needs an organized, non-profit voice   
   financed by industry to ensure that the Canadian political landscape remains   
   in balance and we are looking for like-minded entrepreneurs to invest seed   
   funding at this critical    
   time," the group says on its website.   
      
   The group is also planning a larger fundraising campaign.   
      
   "This seed money should be considered a lobbying/activism expense as we   
   promote your conservative corporate agenda.   We are seeking funds to finance   
   a national mail and telephone campaign to small and medium sized business   
   owners to build our war chest    
   ahead of the next election so that we can start to push our message in early   
   2015."   
      
   While donations to Conservative Voice aren't eligible for charitable or   
   political party donation tax deductions, the groups says on its website that   
   donations from companies could be tax deductible.   
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   "Donations from corporations are eligible expenditures as our goal is to   
   promote, persuade, educate and lobby on their behalf for right of centre   
   fiscal policy."   
      
   However, how much money the group has raised to date and who exactly is behind   
   it is shrouded in mystery.   
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   Documents filed with Industry Canada show only one director for the non-profit   
   corporation - former Conservative Party Executive Director Dan Hilton.   The   
   group's website domain was registered on March 11, 2014, less than six months   
   after Hilton left    
   the Conservative Party. The group incorporated six months later on September   
   12, 2014.   
      
   In its articles of incorporation, Conservative Voice says the purpose of the   
   corporation is "to promote, educate and increase awareness of conservative   
   perspectives on issues."   
      
   Its website pledges to report its audited financial statements and performance   
   each year to donors.   
      
   In an interview with iPolitics, Hilton discussed the group's goal but refused   
   to answer any questions about who else is part of Conservative Voice or how   
   much money it has raised.   
      
   "It is simply a group of people who are trying to level the playing field and   
   make sure that the right's perspective is adequately represented in papers and   
   the media," Hilton said.   
      
   While the main beneficiary of the group's efforts will be the Conservative   
   Party of Canada that Hilton once administered, Hilton says Conservative Voice   
   has no ties to the party.   
      
   "It's completely independent of the political party and the funds are not   
   meant to be used at all in conjunction with anything the party is doing, nor   
   do we discuss anything we are doing with the party - it's completely   
   independent."   
      
   While federal political parties are only allowed to accept maximum donations   
   of $1,500 from individuals in Canada in a bid to level the political playing   
   field, there are few - if any - legal restrictions on where a non-profit   
   corporation without    
   charitable status can raise its funds.     
   For example, it is free to accept donations from companies, unions, other   
   groups and foundations anywhere in the world.            ^^^^^^^   
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   Political parties are obliged to report to Elections Canada how and on what   
   they spend money.   But a non-profit corporation doesn't have to routinely   
   open its books to anyone.       
   		* [Compare to Harper's Bill C-377 before the senate right now]   
      
   Although there are reporting requirements for groups that spend money to   
   advance a viewpoint during an election, there is no restriction on how much   
   third party groups spend outside the election writ period and no obligation to    
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   reveal how much money is spent or where it goes.   
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   "We will spend as much as we can leading up (to) the next writ to ensure that   
   Canadians have the facts before the election is called," the group wrote.   
      
   In its pitch to donors, Conservative Voice says recent changes to Canada's   
   election laws means parties have to focus their spending plans more on   
   election campaigns.   
      
   "With the reduction of the per-vote subsidy and the limitations on personal   
   donations, political parties are strapped for cash and forced to limit their   
   spending to election races," the group wrote.  "But as we both know, the real   
   battle takes place    
   between elections.  There are massive campaigns organized on the left that,   
   when coupled with the power of the media, create unbalance in our political   
   system.  Canadians deserve to hear the truth about the benefits of a strong   
   stable conservative    
   government yet, there is no-one to fill this educational black hole on the   
   right."   
      
   The group points to spending by third parties in the last Ontario provincial   
   election to make its case.   
      
   "For years now institutions on the left of the political spectrum have been   
   funding the Liberals and the NDP," the group wrote.  "Simply look at the third   
   party expenditures during the last Ontario provincial election. When this   
   happens and remains    
   unopposed we see imbalances in our political system."   
      
   "We need your corporate support now to build a campaign for the Conservative   
   Voice before it becomes too late."   
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   The comments echo those of Tom Flanagan, a key architect of Prime Minister   
   Stephen Harper's early electoral victories and a former Conservative   
   organizer.   Speaking to the Manning Centre conference earlier this month,   
   Flanagan said the Conservative    
   Party has to look beyond Canada's traditional political financing system and   
   start getting companies and groups to spend on its behalf or risk "getting its   
   clock cleaned."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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