I'd love it if Volpe stayed in the Liberal leadership race

Jim Travers of the Star would not.

...
Volpe's image took a nasty turn for the worse with the weekend publication of a Canadian Press story raising troubling questions about campaign fundraising.

Having once made news by charging taxpayers $138 for a pizza for two, the former immigration and Ontario political minister is now in headlines for accepting total donations of $108,000 from current and former executives of generic drug firm Apotex along with their wives and children.

Is that anything more sinister than taking full advantage of laws limiting partisan generosity to $5,400 per person? Campaign officials say no and Volpe is bellowing slander at anyone publicly doubting that kids are that politically engaged or, more curiously, willing to plunder thousands from their piggybanks.

Along with unethical, channelling donations through others is verboten. But that's not the pivotal point.

A Liberal party that finally exhausted public patience with serial scandals cannot afford to let a whiff of odour waft around the leadership. That would only boost Conservatives who are doing everything possible — including the transparent stunt of taking Liberals to court over the Quebec advertising horror — to remind voters about the party's affinity for the cookie jar.

It's wrong to deny Volpe the benefit of the doubt.

But combined with — again unproven — charges from fellow Liberals that his supporters used an ethnic group [Sikhs--why doesn't Mr Travers say so--maybe the Crvena Zvezda has guidelines against naming names?] to seize control of a riding association, the Apotex allegations are damaging enough to argue that Volpe would be doing the party an enormous favour by stepping aside...

H/t to Norman's Spectator.

Talk about children; talk about political commitment!

Twins, 11, donated $10,800 to Volpe's campaign: Liberal MP received additional $5,400 from 14-year-old boy

More, and more (beer and popcorn), and more, and more (Apotex angle), from Angry in the Great White North.

Update: Youth For Joe Volpe (Formerly Children of Apotex Inc. Executives for Volpe)

Mark C.

Posted by markc at June 1, 2006 11:34 AM