The Tories Strike Back!

Thrown off their political stride by the unfolding web of scandal know as Donationgate, the Canadian Conservative Party lashed out tonight, asking Canada's federal tax collector to investigate the Liberal party:

Mike Donison, the Conservative party's executive director, claimed in a letter to the Canada Revenue Agency that Liberal convention goers receive "significant personal benefits -- for meals, drink, entertainment and the like ....''

"We would therefore ask you to investigate the legitimacy of tax receipting practices by the Liberal Party of Canada.''

The Tories also defended their claim that since "time immemorial'' delegate fees have only been considered donations when a convention turns a profit.

Except that in this case "time immemorial" extends back not even three years:

...former officials from both the Progressive Conservative party and the Canadian Alliance, the parties that created the Conservative party, said the common practice they followed was to disclose convention fees paid by their members as political donations.

"I'm absolutely positive we always gave out political receipts, minus the amount paid for meals, but everything else was always treated as a political donation,'' said Bruck Easton, former president of the Progressive Conservative party who later ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal.

"That was quite frankly an important part of getting people to our convention.''

His account is backed by financial records submitted to Elections Canada.

Now, Stephen Harper probably does not read my blog, but I am sure some of his top advisers do, and my advice to them would be: tell your glorious Leader to heed us Liberals on this issue. Put $1.7 million into a trust fund and await the results of the Election Canada investigation. When it finds you guilty, pay the money back and fire a bunch of people. That will staunch the bleeding.

After all, you people have been threatening a snap election for months now, every time the House of Commons didn't bow to your slightest whim. While the Libs, Dippers and PQ have been trying to replenish their coffers, you've been arrogantly flashing the CPC's wads of cash in their face, and acting out like the parliamentary equivalent of a teenage hoodlum.

But who knew it was dirty money you were waving?

Well, we do now, and I think I speak for Canadians everywhere when I say you should back down and show a little humility!