Letters to the Editor - May 14, 2008

Conservative transparency far from transparent

Jeff Watson got in with your money. Send him out with your vote.
 
A recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press, “Campaign shuffle: Money in, money out, rebates collected” (May 3, 2008) by Mia Rabson and Dan Lett, highlights actions by Conservative Party candidates in the last federal election, including Essex MP Jeff Watson, in allegedly skirting election finance regulations to increase their post-election refund.

Also, the recent raid by the RCMP conducted on the Conservative Party of Canada’s headquarters has revealed an elaborate scheme involving taxpayers’ money for inflated election expenses infamously know as the “In and Out” scandal. Never the one to miss an opportunity to disappoint, the Member of Parliament for Essex, Jeff Watson, seems to have foregone his pledge to change the way that politics was conducted by the previous Liberal party only to find a different way to bilk the very people that elected him.
 
The allegations claim that Jeff Watson along with 49 of his Conservative cohorts claimed expenses of either $15,000 or 20,000 exactly for polling conducted by the national party. Election finance regulations state that only expenses made at the local level are subject to a 60 percent refund for candidates reaching a 10 percent vote threshold.
 
Indeed, a review of Jeff Watson’s election expenses return shows a $20,000 expense for polling conducted during the election This equated to a $12,000 refund paid by you the taxpayer. This information is readily available on the Elections Canada website.
 
Let me qualify my concerns by stating in the clearest of terms possible. It is inconceivable that Jeff Watson spent $20,000 on local polling.  The fair market value of a poll for an individual riding would be closer to $4,000 or $5,000. Nor is it plausible that 49 other hand-picked Conservatives who were guaranteed to pass the 10 percent election threshold just happened to spend the exact same amount on polling.
 
These revelations show us that the Conservatives’ brand of "transparency" is far from transparent, and their brand of "accountability" doesn't include them being accountable. This storm of scandal keeps growing stronger and can't help but make you wonder what else might be out there waiting to be found out by the Canadian people.
 
When our area is in need of some measure of hope from our elected officials, it is truly disheartening to have Jeff let us down time and time again.

Taras Natyshak
Federal NDP Candidate for Essex