The Liberals are trying to create this bogeyman about third party interest groups. I just want to clarify for the record that these groups are allowed to spend $3,000 in a given constituency, which works out to about five cents per voter, if that. These groups, as it stands in Canada, almost can't function under existing laws. To suggest that they are some sort of threat or menace to our political system is a strange twist of facts. I suspect we'll see an amendment from the Liberals that would ban their activities altogether.
I wonder what implications that would have on the charter rights of everyday Canadians who are not part of a political party to participate in the democratic process. If, for example, EGALE organized a rally during an election and spent $30,000 on that rally, could they be prosecuted under such prohibitions? Could they face some sort of problem with the law? What recourse might they have under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?