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You would not have heard about any of that from the Liberal government, because many of its MPs were advantaged by the foreign money. Had Conservatives been the beneficiaries, instead of deafening silence from progressives, a barrage of outraged accusations would be levelled at right-wing election meddling. However, this should not be a partisan issue. Canadians of every political stripe should agree we need to protect our democratic sovereignty by closing this gaping loophole. Fortunately, there is hope on the horizon.

Senator Linda Frum intends to introduce a private member’s bill amending the Canada Elections Act to prohibit third parties from accepting foreign funding for domestic political activity. Later, the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs will publish a report derived from testimony by Marc Mayrand, the former Chief Electoral Officer, and Yves Côté, the Commissioner of Elections Canada (who handles complaints). They revealed alarming facts about our election laws and how they are interpreted.

We learned it is perfectly legal for a third party to use foreign money to fund campaign activities. Even more concerning, there is no cap on the amount that can be contributed and limitless dollars can be spent, provided the recipient is Canadian. Furthermore, if the foreign money is received at least six months and a day before the writ is dropped, it will be mingled with domestic money, so disclosure of foreign funds is not required or even possible.

If the funds are received within the six-month writ period, then it is regulated. What that means is the source must be disclosed, but there is no limit to the amount that can be donated and from whom. Still, the use of funds is capped in respect to the production or transmission of election advertising messages, which was set at $8,788 for each electoral district in the last election. However, the total amount actually spent was considerably greater than the limit, because the legal loophole is even bigger than it first appears.