Re: CivicAccess-discuss FYI "Following the Money Trail Online"

[Judyth-2]

Hugh McGuire <[hidden email]> wrote:
>careful with your teeth:
>http://www.elections.ca/scripts/webpep/fin/welcome.aspx?lang=e
>
>to me, perusing some of this data, the surprising thing was how  
>*Ilittle* canadian politics appears to be financially supported.  
>candidates collect thousands, and maybe tens of thousands in  
>funding...but not hundreds and certainly not millions.

Keep in mind that our population and thus our economy are about 1/10th the size of their American equivalents.

You can legally run for parliament as long as you can cover the $3000 deposit and gather 100-or-so-signatures (figures from memory as of 2004), whether anyone likes you much or not. It's not even beyond the realm of possibility that you'd win running as an independent, or as a member of a party too small to be recognized by Elections Canada. Rather a lot of our MPs, regardless of party, run relatively small campaigns staffed by volunteers and essentially financed by the local merchants' association or chamber of commerce or the main company in the company town.

Running for a Congress or Senate seat in the States means campaigning statewide, not just in a 45,000-ish voter circumscription, and normally doing so within the money-driven political machine of one of two dominant parties. The enshrined two-party system, in which both parties are in the pockets of the wealthiest industries offering the biggest contributions with which to buy the biggest photo ops and media coverage, means that only a millionnaire like Ross Perrot has a reasonable chance of being considered a serious opponent to rhe system, and even he couldn't win: the dominant political class don't trust any politician whose soul they can't own.

In other words, Canada is "small potatoes" when it comes to political corruption. We've got it, alright, but it's on a scale that would hardly count as lunch-money south of the border. Our "major" political parties (federal or provincial) generally have fewer than 5000 members each, of whom perhaps a hundred or two have any actual power at setting the political agenda. [The reason the PQ is chronically in trouble is that it's more democratic: more members, having more say and not hesitating to fire a leader who won't do what they want!] It's the 100-or-200 that have financial and political control of the party, do the collecting, dole out the favours ... and cook the party books if need be (which I suspect is usually, Election Financing Act or not).

The only federal political party that's actually solvent enough for an election at the moment is the Conservative Party, thanks to Alberta oil and not-entirely-above-board contributions from "interested parties" south of the border. Note in particular the pay-for-play system by which the recorded music and IT industries own culture, pharmaceuticals and biotech own health, agribusiness owns food regulations, and the oil-patch owns the environment. Note also the degree to which consultants from the Republican right are brought in to advise on changes to the way government handles public accountability and even on changing the parliamentary system itself to something more like a presidential one without the requisite checks and balances.

The Liberals are chronically in the hole: not that they don't collect lots, but they spend lavishly on media coverage and make promises to supporters that take lots of cash to keep after an election, some of which has to come from party rather than public funds. The "sponsorship scandal" wasn't a scandal because of the sponsorship aspect -- which is politics as it's usually practiced, even by the Conservative accusers -- but because it was handled so ineptly. (I mean, if you're going to pay off half a million to somebody for political favours with a dummy government contract, it only makes sense to ensure that the dummy invoices and dummy reports are on file... and you don't want witnesses seeing you hand off bundles of cash in public places.)

The NDP has broad support from the broke but the election financing rules have cut what they used to get from the unions (some might argue that was the real reason for the "reform").

The Greens spent 20 years on budgets that wouldn't run to one full-time secretary, let alone a "war chest," took a major gamble on the federal contributions to come under the new law, and in the process were sold out by the "inner circle" in some fairly shady dealings with a "venture capitalist" who operated the way such people often do.

The BQ has few big contributors but lots of smaller ones within Quebec, mostly from those voters who know neither the Libs nor the Cons is even interested in speaking to their concerns.

Major lobbyists are hardly interested in suborning politicians from the minority parties, of course. They sensibly concentrate the money in the hands of those who have the most power or are likely to have it shortly. Being good capitalists, they don't spend any more than they need to: a lavish vacation here, a campaign contribution there...

And of course those lobbying for restoration of the public health system, better environmental regulations, etc. generally operate on a shoestring. Even the biggest advocacy groups like the Council of Canadians rely almost entirely on the folks who contribute $35-$50 a year so million-dollar payoffs aren't really an option. Playing devil's advocate for a moment, I could argue that instead of repeatedly petitioning parliament, such groups should simply take that money and buy themselves one or two possible- Cabinet-minister politicians within each of the major parties. A coupla hundred grand goes a long way here in Canada, especially if you can slide it under the table somehow.

Cynically yours,

Judyth

P.S.  Much interesting reading on Canadian lobbying can be found at
http://www.orl-bdl.gc.ca/epic/site/lobbyist-lobbyiste.nsf/en/h_nx00162e.html

For some reason, the statistical information is available only on Industry Canada's Strategis site and via https :
https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/secure/ec/lrrs/statisticalReport.do;jsessionid=0000OBy6e8wLryrlSCLStrKXXM6:10hc5g1ed?lang=eng


https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/secure/ec/lrrs/statisticalReportLobbyists.do;jsessionid=0000OBy6e8wLryrlSCLStrKXXM6:10hc5g1ed

Active Lobbyists by Type

The following is a report of the number of Consultant, Corporate and Organizational lobbyists listed within active registrations.

Active Lobbyists for: 2007/05/26
Consultant lobbyists: 886
In-House Corporation lobbyists: 1887
In-House Organization lobbyists: 2546
Total lobbyists: 5319

https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/secure/ec/lrrs/statisticalReportTopAreasOfConcern.do;jsessionid=0000OBy6e8wLryrlSCLStrKXXM6:10hc5g1ed
        Contact Us
                 

Areas of Concern in Active Registrations

The following is a listing, in descending order, the top subject areas (Areas of Concern) most frequently identified in active registrations.

Areas of Concern in Active Registrations for: 2007/05/26

Area of Concern Active Registrations
Industry 1890
Taxation and Finance 1463
International Trade 1235
Environment 1206
Health 1106
Science and Technology 1037
Transportation 843
Employment and Training 832
Consumer Issues 779
Energy 774
Regional Development 759
Government Procurement 723
International Relations 621
Infrastructure 621
Aboriginal Affairs 564
Intellectual Property 562
Internal Trade 541
Defence 535
Agriculture 514
Education 501

View the complete list

The number of active registrations which have indicated an Area of Concern not available from the predefined list (shown as "Other" within the registration).
Other 391

https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/secure/ec/lrrs/statisticalReportTopGovtInstitutions.do;jsessionid=0000OBy6e8wLryrlSCLStrKXXM6:10hc5g1ed

        Login
        Public Registry
        Registration
        Act and Other Documents
        Contact Us
                 

Government Departments and Agencies in Active Registrations

The following is a listing, in descending order, of the top Government of Canada departments and agencies most frequently identified in active registrations.

Government Departments and Agencies in Active Registrations for: 2007/05/26

Department or Agency Active Registrations
Industry Canada 2360
Finance Canada 1773
Privy Council Office 1444
Foreign Affairs and International Trade 1334
Members of the House of Commons 1274
Environment Canada 1193
Health Canada 1190
Transport Canada 921
Treasury Board of Canada 908
Revenue Canada 880
Natural Resources Canada 877
Prime Minister's Office 848
Public Works and Government Services Canada 826
Human Resources Development Canada 807
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada 698
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 687
National Defence 667
Canadian Heritage 635
Justice Canada 554
Fisheries and Oceans Canada 500

View the complete list

The number of active registrations that have indicated a Government Department not available from the predefined list (shown as "Other" within the registration).
Other 951

The public registry search is at
https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/secure/ec/lrrs/displaySearchReg.do;jsessionid=0000OBy6e8wLryrlSCLStrKXXM6:10hc5g1ed?lang=eng

Interestingly, if you want to register as a lobbyist, you must first create a user account which, once approvoed (by whom? on what criteria?) will enable you to register. I'm tempted to try it, just to see what happens!






##########################################################
Judyth Mermelstein   "cogito ergo lego ergo cogito..."
Montreal, QC         <[hidden email]>
Canada H4G 1J4       <[hidden email]>
##########################################################
"A word to the wise is sufficient. For others, use more."
"Un mot suffit aux sages; pour les autres, il en faut plus."