Procedure and House Affairs committee  I was trying to get at something else, which is the fact that we will now know earlier who's participating in those fundraisers than we knew previously from a quarterly report or, during an election, six months after, or, if it was a candidate, four months after. That's when we w

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you very much.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I would have to say that it stands on its own right now. I've indicated to you what I think could be areas for improvement so that transparency would be enhanced, and I've indicated the exception rules. I've indicted what is happening. Who are these people who can organize these

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It may also be helpful to review the statute on lobbying, and see what it says about these office-holders. I can't remember offhand, but they may delineate office-holders for whom reports must be provided by people who have access to them. That may be helpful as well. I was also

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I am very much so. That's why I'm here.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's deeply touching. Thank you very much.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I see not a one, and that's why I have always preferred reasonable rules when it comes to political financing. I was never a fan of lowering the contribution limit to $100. I don't think that's reasonable. Some balance and a certain amount of public support are necessary. Achiev

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There wasn't any.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No. Some banks would donate $50,000 or $60,000. It depended on the party. If the party was in power, it would receive $50,000, and the opposition party would get $30,000. Do you see what I mean? They would play both sides and make sure to provide at least some support. All of tha

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes. I can give you an example of one country that is important to us: Great Britain. We shouldn't copy everything Great Britain does, because its contribution limit is, in fact, excessive. However, in Great Britain, airtime during election campaigns is free for all parties. Tha

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It applies broadly and is a measure that the federal government should consider. Canada adopted fixed election date legislation, but thus far, adherence to the legislation has generally been the exception, rather than the rule. That has had a warping effect on political financing

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The bill should apply to anyone who helps organize or finance a fundraising event for a candidate or party.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Forgive me, but I didn't understand the question.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Now I see what you're getting at. I think that could work to start. Then we could see how things go. I wouldn't want to take it too far right off the bat. I see the Canada Elections Act as a dynamic statute. We need to exercise care before changing the financing provisions. We

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's a tough question to answer. There was a very significant bill dealing with penalties because they had become so ridiculous that people knew they were useless. The penalties meant nothing. I simply said that the penalties should be severe and equivalent to what used to ap