In answer to Ms. Thi Lac, this is important. If she reads the letter in question, she will see that the letter was directed specifically to electoral district associations of the Conservative Party--period, full stop. That was it.
The spectre that a person like Mr. Volpe, on television the other day, and other Liberals have been creating is that this is an affront, a threat to the immigrant community because if you don't pay up you will.... I mean, that is just sheer demagoguery of the first order. The fact is that there was a request made by the members of the Alberta caucus to the minister, who is also a member of the Alberta caucus, for information so that they could consider whether they would ask the Conservative electoral district associations to contribute money to this fund.
Now, we have to remember that absolutely everything in Canada with respect to election funding or political spending of this type by a political party is under Elections Canada and is under very tight control. So the money that would be contributed to a Conservative constituency in Edmonton or Calgary or Red Deer could then be traced or tracked to the amount that it would be contributing to the $200,000. This is a very hermetically sealed $200,000 that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the immigrant community in Canada or with people outside of those who choose to contribute to a political party. So the spectre that has been created regrettably and falsely and, I would say, maliciously by the Liberals that this is somehow going after immigrants to say “If you don't pay up you won't get it” is pure puffery of the first order, and quite frankly I think is demeaning and degrading to the political process.
I think, Madame Thi Lac, you've asked a very valid and legitimate question, and I hope if you read the letter you will see that the letter specifies that the $200,000 is being asked for from constituency organizations, not from the public at large.