Accountability Act puts Convention in Jeopardy

The Conservative’s Accountability Act could make it illegal for anyone who's donated more than $5 to the Liberal Party of Canada this year to attend the December Leadership Convention, said the Party’s National Director Steve MacKinnon. “This is the most anti-democratic piece of legislation I've ever seen,” said Mr. MacKinnon. “It seems strange that the Conservatives, with their Reform tradition, want to be the party which silences the voices of party activists in national political parties.''

Under the proposed legislation, the maximum amount which individuals are allowed to donate to a political party will be decreased to $1,000 from $5,400 per year. But according to Elections Canada, any fees paid to attend a political convention constitute a political donation, therefore making the $995 fee to attend the Leadership convention account for 99.5 per cent of the delegate’s allowable political donation.

For those delegates traveling more than 700 km to attend the Montreal gathering, a portion of the fee will include a travel subsidy; which will not count as a donation.
Liberal MPs had proposed to the House of Commons committee studying the bill to make convention fees exempt, to increase the limit of individual donations to $2,000 or to delay implementation of the act until Jan. 1, 2007, but all amendments were rejected by the Conservatives and NDP MPs.

For further information about how the Accountability Act will affect convention fees, click here (Toronto Star).

Help stop this unjust and undemocratic provision from being included in the Accountability Act. Call, email or write your Member of Parliament today!