In light of the Klees disclosure, the Senate should send the bill back to the House of Commons to amend it and close the loopholes. As a beginning, leadership campaigns should be as transparent as election campaigns. Leadership candidates should be required to disclose who is giving them money and how much. But even disclosure is not enough. It is time for a genuine national debate on party financing.
Democracy is based on one person, one vote.
At a minimum all corporate and union funding for political parties should be banned. Only those who can vote should be able to donate to political parties. Money corrupts and our current system invites such corruption. This doesn't include millions spent on tax credits to individuals making political donations and untold millions more to corporations who deduct political financing as a business expense. Currently, the government reimburses parties for 22 per cent of what they spend on a campaign.