I couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Chair.
Everything I have said today has been widely reported in half a dozen media outlets across the country, perhaps more on the Internet. I agree with and respect the convention.
But it is interesting how the gist of the pure Conservative spin on the other side doesn't deal with the fact that transfers from political parties to riding associations and candidates are legitimate and permitted by Elections Canada.
Because one of the members happened to single out my leader's riding, let's talk about that. Let's get that on the record, debunk the myths, and tell the truth.
What happened in Mr. Dion's riding is completely different from the alleged Conservative election deception, because in that riding no one exceeded advertising limits. That riding didn't get any Elections Canada rebates. The transfer wasn't even for advertising; it was for signs and insurance.
Elections Canada audited the file and found no concerns, unlike the cases of so many Conservative candidates who are now picking and rolling on their party. Former Conservative candidates Jean Landry and Ann Julie Fortier are on the record saying that Conservative ad expenses were not local campaign expenses and that they were forced, almost coerced, to participate—and the direction came from the very top. Did the Prime Minister authorize this? Did he knowingly allow this shenanigan to happen on his watch?
The reason Elections Canada challenged the Conservative Party on their advertising expenses was because they were expensed as campaign expenses, but there is no evidence that they were in fact campaign expenses.
There's an allegation here of an orchestrated, top-down scheme involving 70 ridings—not 7 or 10 of them—in the 2006 campaign. This appears to have allowed the Conservative Party to spend more on national advertising than the law permits, while at the same time inflating the rebate moneys that Conservative candidates were entitled to receive.
Elections Canada determined that these were not local campaign expenses. As a result, Elections Canada did the right thing and refused to provide the rebates to the candidates.
The Conservatives' former candidates—again, Jean Landry and Ann Julie Fortier—are on the record saying that these were not local campaign expenses, that they were forced to participate, and that the direction came from the very top.
In the instance of my leader's riding, there was no rebate from Elections Canada. Neither the Liberal Party of Canada nor the riding exceeded advertising limits, and most importantly there was no scheme orchestrated by the Liberal Party to do what the Conservatives appear to have done. The expense in question on the Saint-Laurent—Cartierville books did not even involve advertising; it was for lawn signs and insurance.
What also needs to be made clear about the situation in that particular riding is that $44,000 was owed from the party to the riding association from fundraising revenues at the beginning of 2004. This money was returned to the riding in two instalments, the first on May 7, 2004, in the amount of $12,200. This was used to pay for the riding's services package, provided by the party to all campaigns, including maps, materials, and other items to assist local campaigns. Another payment in the amount of $32,549.17 was made on May 26, 2004. This was the remaining debt that was owed.
It's important to remember that transactions from a political party to a riding association or candidate, and even back again, are permitted by Elections Canada law.
The reason Elections Canada is challenging the Conservative Party on their advertising expenses is because they were expensed as local campaign expenses, but there is zero evidence that they were expenses incurred by the local campaign. There is not a shred of evidence.
This is not the case for the riding of my leader. In fact, Elections Canada reviewed these expenses, as they do and as they will for all candidates' election filings, and raised no concerns, unlike in the case of the Conservative Party, again, where they found serious problems in 70 campaigns.
So I would like to see the witness list include, for example, the president of the Conservative Party of Canada, the chief financial officer of the Conservative Party of Canada. I would like to see--