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Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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Harris, Hill defend election spending |
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Written by MARK NIELSEN
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 22 April 2008 |
Prince George-area MPs Dick Harris and Jay Hill are readily admitting their campaigns participated in the controversial "in-and-out" advertising scheme now at the centre of a legal battle between the Conservative party and Elections Canada.
Both maintain the actions were perfectly within the law.
Reached Tuesday, Hill and Harris said their campaigns were involved in the arrangement that saw the national party send funds to local organizations which in turn sent the money right back to pay for ads that were largely identical to national ones.
The idea was that the local groups had room for more ad spending, but didn't have the cash, while the central party had the money, but was fast running out of spending room under the legal limits. The total overspending is alleged to be $1.3 million.
For Harris, the total added up to $30,000 and represented 36 per cent of his total campaign expenses for advertising. For Hill it was $15,000 and accounted for 26 per cent.
"Anytime I've been asked or questioned about it, I tell people quite openly that we received $15,000 and we turned around and spent $15,000 on regional advertising," Hill said. "Elections Canada believes that's not a legitimate campaign expense for a local campaign and we believe otherwise."
Harris took a similar position.
"Elections Canada is not infallible, they've made mistakes before," Harris said. "Even in connection with the '06 election there are two other cases that have been launched against Elections Canada and won, both by Liberals as a matter of fact."
The controversy reached a new level last week when the RCMP raided Conservative headquarters in Ottawa on Elections Canada's behalf in a bid to obtain further evidence. The action occurred just a day before Conservative party lawyers were to begin an examination for discovery after taking Elections Canada to court over the issue.
Even if it turns out the Conservatives met the letter of the law, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen said their actions still raise ethical concerns, particularly since local candidates were able to have 60 per cent of their election expenses reimbursed.
"It's the spirit of the thing and the spirit is to not rip off taxpayers," Cullen said.
Looking at the list of the 67 candidates involved, Cullen said it appeared to consist of those with either little hope of winning or predicted to win by landslides, like Harris and Hill in Cariboo-Prince George and Prince George-Peace River, respectively, and suggested the funds raised went toward the tighter races.
"You've got to remember, it was pretty touch-and-go and when you go through the top 25 vulnerable seats, that's where the Conservatives pounded in spending," he said. "It'll be impossible to prove, but I think it casts a very bad light on the whole election win for Mr. Harper and that's a problem because perception is important."
Cullen doubts the uproar will be enough to spark an election but predicted it will be an issue once one begins.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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If they are willing to cave on social issues they allegedly feel so vehemently opposed to...I hardly think that a few misappropriated election ad dollars will do the trick.