Financing the Stone

Marcel... er, Stephane Dion still owes about $600,000 for his apparently successful bid for the leadership of the Liberian Party of Canadia. One can only imagine that it is a combination of his overpowering, almost erotic personal charisma and championship skills as leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition that have limited his shortfall in personal fundraising to such a meagre sum. Elections Canada, enemy of the People's Union of Conservative Parties of Canada, have indicated that there is some sort of time limit for Dion to clear his debts.

As one might expect the upstanding and righteous citizens of the Conswervative Caucus are squeaking and beeping in protest and condemnation of Dion.

Tory MP Pierre Poilievre repeated his party's claim that Dion's failure to fully pay off loans and unpaid bills is against the law. And he again suggested that the independent elections watchdog, by granting extensions to the leadership contenders, is turning a blind eye to Liberal illegality.

Oh. Oh oh oh! ADSCAM those sneaky Liberals! Why that's the sort of transparent and accountable thing that would never, not ever happen in the Law & Order rerun... er, party camp. Right?

According to a chart compiled by Elections Canada, 426 candidates - including 121 Conservatives - sought extensions to pay off loans after the 2004 election.

As well, 401 candidates - including 125 Conservatives - sought extensions to clear unpaid bills.

But that's different...

Furthermore, Elections Canada's web site lists 19 candidates - five of them Conservatives - with loans that remained unpaid 18 months after the 2006 election.

It further lists 10 candidates - four of them Conservatives - whose unpaid loans were deemed to count as donations after 18 months. In five of those cases - three involving Conservative candidates - the donations exceed the legal maximum of $5,400 per donor.

So shut up ADSCAM you damn lefties.

Regardless of his own party's record, Poilievre demanded Tuesday that Dion immediately disclose the "special arrangement" he's struck with the agency to extend his leadership repayment deadline. And he demanded to know what the "wealthy elites" who loaned Dion money have "asked in return."

"The public has the right to know which vested interests are pulling the strings of the Liberal leader. It is time he came clean with Canadians," Poilievre asserted.

Yeah. Come clean Libs. Just like the Harperialists did with the Trousers Bernier Affair. Now that there's talk of Ms Couillard having been involved with Mafia kingpin types there's even less to see over there. Shiny object! Shiny object! Perhaps Stephen the Large should sue somebody. That's a sure sign of confident politics.