Comments on: The Conservative Party of Canada buys into NASCAR http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2007/06/21/the-conservative-party-of-canada-buys-into-nascar/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:33:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Mark Byron http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2007/06/21/the-conservative-party-of-canada-buys-into-nascar/#comment-89884 Mark Byron Sat, 23 Jun 2007 00:17:56 +0000 http://www.benedictionblogson.com/?p=3221#comment-89884 I'm not an expert on Canadian political finance, but from what I've read, the parties both raise money from donors like in the US, with bans on corporate donations and limits on individual donations, coupled with a $1.75/last-elections-vote-total per year subsidy from the federal coffers. So, part of the money is from donors, and part of it from your tax money (not mine, since I'm south of the border). That just an alternative form of advertising, a bit tackier than a TV ad, but look at the free media the Tories got from a sticker on Bourque's car. The interesting part of the story to me was that Canadian Drudge Pierre Bourque, a legit race-car driver as well as a top-notch news aggregator, was the recipient of the ad. Some interesting conflict of interest issues come to mind. I’m not an expert on Canadian political finance, but from what I’ve read, the parties both raise money from donors like in the US, with bans on corporate donations and limits on individual donations, coupled with a $1.75/last-elections-vote-total per year subsidy from the federal coffers.

So, part of the money is from donors, and part of it from your tax money (not mine, since I’m south of the border). That just an alternative form of advertising, a bit tackier than a TV ad, but look at the free media the Tories got from a sticker on Bourque’s car.

The interesting part of the story to me was that Canadian Drudge Pierre Bourque, a legit race-car driver as well as a top-notch news aggregator, was the recipient of the ad. Some interesting conflict of interest issues come to mind.

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