An obvious cause

The CP reports on the Con cheque-swapping scandal, with a distinct flavour of "but everybody does it" based on the fact that cheque-swapping was a common practice until a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, that angle largely misses the central point, which is that there's a very good reason why the other two main parties stopped the practice in 2004:

(U)nlike the Tories, who continued to promote the scheme to help defray delegate expenses at their 2005 convention, the two opposition parties say they stopped the practice in 2004 after political financing laws were overhauled...

Political financing reforms in 2004 addressed he (sic) practice. Under the reforms, personal donations were capped at $5,400 each year and, in a bid to prevent attempts to circumvent the limit, a clause was added expressly forbidding anyone from making a donation in the name of or on behalf of another person or entity.

But while the other two parties made sure to comply with the new law, all signs point to the Cons failing completely either at determining the effects of the law, or at making sure that their riding associations complied with it:

MMike Donison, the Conservatives' executive director, has said the party had no knowledge that local organizers were using cheque-swapping and did not approve or condone the practice...

(Liberal national director Steven) MacKinnon said the Liberals went to considerable effort and expense to analyse the complex political financing reforms and to ensure no one in the party inadvertently breached the law.

Similarly, (NDP federal secretary Eric) Hebert said he spent six months on the phone with officials at Elections Canada, going over every detail of the changes in the law. He acknowledged that some of the complicated details might have been lost on local Tory organizers, but he said it's the responsibility of the central party to ensure all party members respect the law.

Needless to say, given how clear it appears that the Cons couldn't be bothered to ensure that their riding associations understood or followed the law, it's hard to have any confidence that the Con government is any better at policing itself now that it's taken power. And Harper may well have one more reason to push for the earliest election possible in order to minimize the likelihood of anybody else tracking down any similar tendency to play fast and loose with the rules within the government before Canada next goes to the polls.