Published by Senator Dennis Dawson on 29 May 2009
Yesterday, my Bill which aims to fix the current loophole in the Canada Election Act was submitted to Second Reading.
At present this loophole allows political parties to spend as much as they want on campaign advertising during the pre-writ period without it being taken into account in their writ spending limit. If this Bill is passed, political parties will be held accountable for any spending held three months prior to the call of an election.
This Bill is specifically designed to fill the gap left by the Conservatives in Bill C-16 (2007) which gave our nation fixed elections. With fixed elections, every party could launch campaign ads months before the writ period. However, our current laws only oblige them to be held accountable for the money they spend inside the writ period.
In my opinion, this is a major flaw in our electoral system. The size of a political party’s bank account should not dictate whether or not it can dominate Canadian airwaves. In a truly democratic society, all parties should be able to express their ideas equally so that you, the voters, may decide who you think has the best vision for (and the ability to) lead our country. That is precisely why I introduced this bill to the Senate, so that we may hold elections that are not decided by money, but by you.
The Harper Government came to power in 2006 promising to bring more transparency and a sense of accountability to Ottawa. In its Accountability Act, the government put a strong emphasis on donations received by parties. However, it omitted to give proper directives as to how and when the money could be spent, and that is just as essential as how much money a party can receive.
“We must reduce the influence of money in politics,” one of my Honourable colleagues once said. For once I must say that I agree with Minister John Baird, and I honestly hope that with this Bill, Canada will come even closer to one in which leaders are decided based on their ideas, not their wallets.
Please click here to read my speech on Bill S-236