The Latest from the Party of Sound Ethics

Harper surely brought this on himself. Briefly: Donations paid as fees to attend the Conservative convention last year were not reported to Elections Canada. EC says that's illegal. Guess what the Conservatives think?

Actually, they want to make it even more illegal. But not ... quite ... yet.

Though not so grand as Gomery, this has all the appropriate marks. One party claims the donations are within its mandate, the other cries foul.

Marjorie LeBreton, the government's leader in the Senate, retorted: "The only vendetta that we are against is corruption in politics . . . Our vendetta is against abuse of public dollars."

But I suspect she's thinking of Liberal abuse of public dollars...

...And she is:

LeBreton said the Liberals continue to exhibit a culture of "entitlement" by insisting that delegate fees should count as donations, for which donors receive a tax break. That amounts to Liberals insisting that taxpayers should "subsidize" their leadership race, she said.

Actually, Mme LeBreton, the Liberals are asking whether the taxpayers subsidized yours.

But now that he's safely on top, Harper is trying to slam this loophole shut. It's the ethics, apparently. God knows where he found some. He's introduced a bill to lock down personal donations to $1000.

If passed, the new law will take effect right in the middle of the Liberal leadership campaign. Surely only a happy coincidence. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good, eh, Prime Minister?