The Conservative Party of Canada’s former executive director has set up what could be a game-changing new organization to raise money and promote the benefits of “a strong, stable Conservative government” while bypassing the legal limits on fundraising faced by political parties, iPolitics has learned.

Conservative Voice is actively seeking donations from companies to help it counter Liberal and NDP viewpoints it says are being funded by institutions “on the left of the political spectrum.”

“Conservative Voice believes that Canada needs an organized, non-profit voice financed by industry to ensure that the Canadian political landscape remains in balance and we are looking for like-minded entrepreneurs to invest seed funding at this critical time,” the group says on its website.

The group is also planning a larger fundraising campaign.

“This seed money should be considered a lobbying/activism expense as we promote your conservative corporate agenda. We are seeking funds to finance a national mail and telephone campaign to small and medium sized business owners to build our war chest ahead of the next election so that we can start to push our message in early 2015.”

While donations to Conservative Voice aren’t eligible for charitable or political party donation tax deductions, the groups says on its website that donations from companies could be tax deductible.

“Donations from corporations are eligible expenditures as our goal is to promote, persuade, educate and lobby on their behalf for right of centre fiscal policy.”

However, how much money the group has raised to date and who exactly is behind it is shrouded in mystery.

Documents filed with Industry Canada show only one director for the non-profit corporation – former Conservative Party Executive Director Dan Hilton. The group’s website domain was registered on March 11, 2014, less than six months after Hilton left the Conservative Party. The group incorporated six months later on September 12, 2014.

In its articles of incorporation, Conservative Voice says the purpose of the corporation is “to promote, educate and increase awareness of conservative perspectives on issues.”

Its website pledges to report its audited financial statements and performance each year to donors.

In an interview with iPolitics, Hilton discussed the group’s goal but refused to answer any questions about who else is part of Conservative Voice or how much money it has raised.

“It is simply a group of people who are trying to level the playing field and make sure that the right’s perspective is adequately represented in papers and the media,” Hilton said.

While the main beneficiary of the group’s efforts will be the Conservative Party of Canada that Hilton once administered, Hilton says Conservative Voice has no ties to the party.

“It’s completely independent of the political party and the funds are not meant to be used at all in conjunction with anything the party is doing, nor do we discuss anything we are doing with the party – it’s completely independent.”

While federal political parties are only allowed to accept maximum donations of $1,500 from individuals in Canada in a bid to level the political playing field, there are few – if any – legal restrictions on where a non-profit corporation without charitable status can raise its funds. For example, it is free to accept donations from companies, unions, other groups and foundations anywhere in the world.

Political parties are obliged to report to Elections Canada how and on what they spend money. But a non-profit corporation doesn’t have to routinely open its books to anyone.

Although there are reporting requirements for groups that spend money to advance a viewpoint during an election, there is no restriction on how much third party groups spend outside the election writ period and no obligation to reveal how much money is spent or where it goes.

“We will spend as much as we can leading up (to) the next writ to ensure that Canadians have the facts before the election is called,” the group wrote.

In its pitch to donors, Conservative Voice says recent changes to Canada’s election laws means parties have to focus their spending plans more on election campaigns.

“With the reduction of the per-vote subsidy and the limitations on personal donations, political parties are strapped for cash and forced to limit their spending to election races,” the group wrote. “But as we both know, the real battle takes place between elections. There are massive campaigns organized on the left that, when coupled with the power of the media, create unbalance in our political system. Canadians deserve to hear the truth about the benefits of a strong stable conservative government yet, there is no-one to fill this educational black hole on the right.”

The group points to spending by third parties in the last Ontario provincial election to make its case.

“For years now institutions on the left of the political spectrum have been funding the Liberals and the NDP,” the group wrote. “Simply look at the third party expenditures during the last Ontario provincial election. When this happens and remains unopposed we see imbalances in our political system.”

“There’s certainly no attempt to circumvent any laws and as I mentioned, we’re not tied to the party in any way, nor does the party have any control over any of the funds that we will be raising.” “There’s certainly no attempt to circumvent any laws and as I mentioned, we’re not tied to the party in any way, nor does the party have any control over any of the funds that we will be raising.”

“We need your corporate support now to build a campaign for the Conservative Voice before it becomes too late.”

The comments echo those of Tom Flanagan, a key architect of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s early electoral victories and a former Conservative organizer. Speaking to the Manning Centre conference earlier this month, Flanagan said the Conservative Party has to look beyond Canada’s traditional political financing system and start getting companies and groups to spend on its behalf or risk “getting its clock cleaned.”

Flanagan said Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are catching up to the Conservatives on party financing while unions “hijacked the electoral process,” in the Ontario election.

“I think the next step for conservatives and people in Conservative parties is to get outside the party and start outsourcing political functions, kind of like American political action committees,” Flanagan told delegates to the Manning Centre conference. “In the United States now, so much of voter contact is done by non-party entities, opposition research has been outsourced to non-party entities.”

“Once the Conservatives and Liberals are basically tied in party fundraising then the competition is going to be to start raising money outside the political party that can be used for allied political purposes.”

Hilton said his years of working with the Conservative Party led him to similar conclusions.

Hilton said the group has not yet accepted any donations from outside Canada but has not put any restrictions on where its money comes from. It does not anticipate hiring any staff.

Hilton dismissed any suggestion his group is simply trying to take advantage of a loophole in Canada’s election financing laws to circumvent the fundraising restrictions faced by political parties.

“I don’t believe we’re acting any differently than any other organization that’s trying to put forward a political perspective. They exist on both sides of the spectrum and we’re no different. There’s certainly no attempt to circumvent any laws and as I mentioned, we’re not tied to the party in any way, nor does the party have any control over any of the funds that we will be raising.”

Hilton said the group also has no plans to get involved in social conservative questions. On its website, the group lays out its position on old age security, poverty rates and youth unemployment.

“The view is that there is a lack of discussion when it comes to primarily fiscal conservatism. We’re not interested in getting involved in social aspects of what the party stands for. It’s really about economics and the fiscal conservative agenda.”

In the end, the group’s goal is for Canadians to know more about the conservative viewpoint, says Hilton.

“I hope it encourages people to think about politics more. I certainly believe it is important for every Canadian to play a role in our system. This is just one effort to try and make sure that we’ve got balanced information out there in the playing field.”

“More than anything, if we can encourage people to just become educated, that would be fantastic.”

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