Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague's speech with great interest. One particular point where I will focus my attention is with regard to defending the idea of being bought for $5,000 in terms of political donations. I personally do not see the downside of lowering donations to $1,000 as most Canadians cannot spend that to begin with on political contributions. I think it brings a greater accountability because it evens the playing field between those who can actually contribute during a campaign with a $5,000 limit to businesses.
It should be noted that there could actually be a chain of different businesses that accumulate those donations versus, for example, union donations that were capped at $1,000 per union across the country. Locals could not do that, but franchises could donate $1,000 under the previous Bill C-24.
I would like to hear from the hon. member on limiting the $1,000. What do we have to lose by having a better balanced approach to contributions, where more Canadians could have quality in their donations to political parties?