Dear Editor,

Whether or not local and regional federal Conservative Party advertisements were justifiably claimed as expenses by Conservative candidates during the last election, or were spending above the limit in the party's national campaign, the situation reveals a key loophole in election enforcement that must be closed.

Elections Canada must be given not only the power, but also the mandate, to conduct annual audits of parties, riding associations, and of election candidates after elections.  Until this change this made, secret donations and illegal election spending will be effectively legal, and federal elections open to being corrupted.

All federal parties could have worked together to close this loophole last year when they were reviewing the so-called "Federal Accountability Act" (which changes the federal elections law, among others), but none of the parties even proposed making this change.  (To see a summary of the key measures in Bill C-2, the so-called Federal Accountability Act, click here -- To see the details about the ethics complaint Democracy Watch has filed about the Conservatives' breaking their election promises concerning Bill C-2, click here -- To see Bill C-2, the so-called“Federal Accountability Act”and related federal government documents go to: http://www.accountability.gc.ca

And none of the parties proposed closing dozens of other loopholes that have existed in the federal government's accountability system for the psat 140 years, so as sponsorship scandal Justice John Gomery noted recently in his retirement interview, many reforms are still needed. (To see a summary of the 85 undemocratic loopholes, click here)

Also, whether or not former Conservative PEI premier Pat Binns is qualified to be Ambassador to Ireland, if the federal Conservatives had kept their election promise Binns would have been required to respond to a public advertisement and apply to a fully independent Public Appointments Commission that would have screened all candidates and sent a short list of nominees to Cabinet.  The so-called "Federal Accountability Act", passed more than eight months ago, sets out measures to establish the Commission but does not require Cabinet to set it up.  It is clear that the Conservatives are deliberately delaying keeping their promise so they can reward as many of the party's friends as possible while they cling to power.

And politicians wonder why polls show that Canadians trust them less than almost all other professions.

Canadians deserve better from all federal politicians, and hopefully sooner than later they will get better.

Sincerely,
Duff Conacher, Coordinator
Democracy Watch