This latest round of pearl-clutching over political fundraising is reaching its fever pitch in a most tiresome way possible, and I’m losing all patience with it. Determined to try and label it “cash-for-access” in order to tie the story in with the gross lack of fundraising rules that existed in Ontario, and the very dubious practices of the government there of having ministers essentially asking for donations from companies lobbying them, what’s going on at the federal level is nothing like that at all. However, bored journalists are drawing lines on between people who are attending or organizing fundraisers and lobbying activities, despite everything being reported and above board, are going “Look! Look! Smell test!” But I’m having a really, really hard time buying this. Likewise with opposition parties going “Sure, it’s in the rules, but Trudeau’s letters said that nobody should have the appearance of conflict of interest and this has the appearance!” No, it actually doesn’t. Just because you say it does, it doesn’t mean that there’s a problem.

I’m trying very hard not to come off as some kind of an apologist, but for the love of all the gods on Olympus, we have a really, really clean fundraising system with clear rules, and it shouldn’t bear repeating (and yet here we are) that you can’t buy influence for $1500. You just can’t. Sure, you might get to meet a minister, but what is that going to get you? You think they’re going to engineer a special loophole in the law for your company because you donated $1500 to their party – registered through Elections Canada, and the lobbying registry? Honestly? And it’s not like there aren’t a hundred other consultations that you could offer your suggestions to a minster or their staff with, because as we know, this government loves to consult. And further to that, are we actively trying to insist that no minister should ever fundraise because, well, “smell test” or “appearance.” Give me a break.

Meanwhile, we get inundated with everyone giving their “solution” to this, whether it’s returning the per-vote subsidy as Susan Delacourt suggests here, or if it’s Duff Conacher howling in the corner that we should adopt the Quebec donor limits of $100 (ignoring that limits that are too low means that money starts getting funnelled in other ways). But maybe, just maybe, we should all take a deep breath and realise that the more we get hysterical about this perfectly above-board fundraising in a clean and quite transparent system, it’s that we’re turning it into some zero-sum game. If we keep inventing scandal, shouting “smell test!” and “appearance!” when no, a reasonable and rational look at the situation shows that there isn’t actually a problem, we’re going to wind up giving excuses for parties to start hiding these activities. To paraphrase Rick Anderson on last night’s Power & Politics, there’s only a perception problem around this fundraising because people are throwing mud. It’s time to stop throwing mud and be grown-ups about it. This isn’t cash-for-access. $1500 is not buying influence. Stop lighting your hair on fire.

https://twitter.com/jec79/status/791117661476388866

Good reads:

• The Conservatives won that by-election in Medicine Hat by a landslide, which was expected, but unexpected was just how badly the NDP did.
• New Supreme Court nominee Justice Malcolm Rowe faced questions from MPs and senators yesterday and seemed to charm everyone. (Kady O’Malley liveblog here).
• Justin Trudeau faced hecklers at a Canada Labour Congress youth council event, and he answered a number of them.
• In responding to some of the hecklers, Trudeau noted that his is a pro-trade party, and gave indications of support for the TPP.
• The RCMP could be facing another class-action lawsuit, this time from male employees harassed and bullied during their time on the Force.
• The Commons voted in favour of that Conservative motion to bring Yazidi refugees to Canada over the next four months.
• The Commons Defence Committee voted to recommend the government change the records of LGBT service members who were dishonourably discharged.
• Despite Kurdish photos showing Canadian soldiers near the front lines in Iraq, the defence minister won’t talk about it citing operational security.
• Here’s a great look at where the CETA negotiations currently stand, with the note that Trudeau hasn’t cancelled his trip there on Thursday.
• My Loonie Politics column is a reminder of why MPs shouldn’t get involved in picking the short lists for Supreme Court nominees.

Odds and ends:

Joe Oliver has opted to run provincially (and apparently signing onto Patrick Brown’s carbon pricing plan), and he’s not the only defeated MP making the leap.