The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
ItÕs a given that political parties need money. Without it, thereÕs no staff, no campaigning and no getting elected. This is true at all levels, but even more so in trying to win a large federal seat. It is not like the former Winnipeg school trustee I taught with who spent a total of a few cents to mail in his picture and resume to a newspaper during the campaign and still got elected (though defeat caught up to him eventually). Since TV ads became more of a necessity, elections have become much more expensive, especially at the federal level and in the US, where the advertising, jet travel and staff needed have made running for office beyond the reach of most citizens. Consider the nomination battle for the Democrats, where Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton raised and spent millions. It is mind-boggling that people would donate that kind of money, with more to come when the actual election for president takes place. Canadian federal parties certainly do not (and cannot) raise the kind of money the Americans do, but then again, their expenses are not as high. But it is still costly, especially if the parties are going to do proper advertising, hire qualified staff and contact donors. In Canada, political donations have to come from individual donors, not businesses, unions and other organizations, and each donor can only give so much per year. The donor is given a tax credit worth a percentage of the donation, which has really helped parties get money. Unions and other groups have been able to get around the regulations, though, as the Manitoba NurseÕs Union did in the last provincial campaign by running ads attacking the PCs and praising the NDP. Unions such as the Winnipeg firefighters also send out foot soldiers to campaign for the NDP to get around the regulations, which is considered okay as long as they are not getting a tax credit for their work. Back in 2003, Stuart MurrayÕs PC campaign was severely hurt by the Elections Manitoba regulations, which prohibited business donations to the party, as previously the Tories had received most of their money from business. The party ran out of cash and had it not been for a major loan from media mogul Randy Moffat, they would have had to shut down the campaign. Things improved greatly since then. The party paid off its debt, and under Hugh McFadyen has raised more money than the NDP. The federal Tory party has been extremely successful in raising money and has not hesitated to spend it to promote their policies and to blast the Liberals. Last year they raised over $3.5 million from 34,000 donors while all opposition parties raised less than $2 million from less than 25,000 givers. This is a huge problem for the Liberal party, whose 2006 leadership candidates are still trying to pay off their huge campaign debt. Surprisingly, there were more donors to the NDP than to the Liberals, which is giving some encouragement to parliamentÕs fourth party, and even the Greenies raised more than the Bloc. Why is the governing party so successful in this regard? Obviously being in power is one factor, but the major reason is the genius of the head fundraiser Irv Gerstein. Gerstein and his committee have more ingenious ways of separating Tories from their money than this writer has ever seen. Letters of thanks, souvenirs and Harper calendars are sent out on a regular basis to regular and prospective donors, always giving a rationale for the need to donate more and how it will help the party and the country. In May, my wife Leila, who had made a donation, was sent a certificate of recognition and made an honourary campaign trustee for the next election. The certificate was signed by Gerstein and Stephen Harper. The donation was not large, and for sure thousands were sent out, but thatÕs the way to do it, Irv! RogerÕs Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
