Still More Accountable Conservatism

Remember last election how the Harper Conservatives were telling us how they were going to lead the way in creating "Open, Honest and Accountable" government? At various times, I heard them say that they were going to lead by example.

Well, in yet another example of Conservative accountability, we find out that the CPoC is adding a new level to the term "creative accounting":

In the revised report, the Conservatives have "reclassified revenue related to the 2005 convention," disclosing an additional $539,915 in previously unreported donations, an extra $913,710 in "other revenue," and an additional $1.45 million in "other expenses."

The report does not explain what constitutes other revenue or other expenses.

So, they invented an amount of expenses that just happens to equal the amount of "reclassified" revenue? Really - did this bunch hire their accountants from the ashes of Enron?

Moreover, the party reports almost $700,000 in previously undisclosed transfers from riding associations, presumably accounting for ridings that helped subsidize the cost of attending the Montreal policy convention for their delegates.

Undisclosed? What the hell? If I was a CPC member, I'd be right royally pissed off about now. This basically means that a significant amount of party revenues have been "hidden" - meaning that they probably didn't show up on the financial statements either.

Of course, this is coming from the same people who think that handing nearly half a billion dollars to the White House occupants is a "necessary price" for illegal tariffs on Canadian lumber exports.

And just to clarify something - PMSH has his hands dirtied here too:

Having been forced to count convention fees as donations, the report indicates the Conservative party then discovered three delegates - including Prime Minister Stephen Harper - had exceeded their $5,400 annual limit for political contributions. As a result, the party refunded $456 each to Harper and the other two delegates.

Okay, it's not a large overrun, but PMSH should know the rules just as well as the rest of us do.

Let the spin begin:

The party's letter notes that Harper's minority government last month attempted to amend the Canada Elections Act to ensure that convention fees in future would not count as donations. But the proposed amendment was shot down by the three opposition parties.

Harper spokesman Dimitris Soudas said that while the Conservative party continues to believe convention fees shouldn't be subsidized by taxpayers, it "has indicated from the beginning that it will comply with any requirements" imposed by Elections Canada, and it has filed the revised financial report "to reflect this decision."

Yes, and the people that headed up Enron and WorldCom just happened to be at the helm of corporate scams of untold proportions. This statement is pure political spin - and badly done at that.

But while the Tories infer that counting delegate fees as donations is a recent development, Elections Canada has said that's been the case for decades.

The Canadian Alliance, Reform and Progressive Conservative parties - the precursors to the Conservative party - all considered convention fees donations.

Ah - here's the rub - the CPC knew damn good and well that it was breaking the rules - from the start. Then they tried to cover it up by amending the legislation to reflect their own crooked practices. Brilliant boys. Next time check your accountant's qualifications - experience with Enron or WorldCom audits is probably not a encouraging sign.

Just to recap, the CPC has tried to conceal over $2 million in donations, and they knew damn good and well from the start that this was illegal.