OTTAWA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today unveiled its battle plan - The Taxpayers Campaign - for the anticipated forthcoming general election campaign. The campaign writ is expected to be dropped on October 22nd for a November 27th national vote.

"If the vote is called, we will be ready to fight for free speech, lower taxes and ending corporate welfare," stated CTF federal director Walter Robinson. "First and foremost, election campaigns are for ideas and voters, not for political parties and draconian election laws."

At a news conference in Ottawa, Mr. Robinson outlined the CTF's plans to intervene and advocate for the common interests of taxpayers during the much anticipated fall election campaign. The Taxpayers Campaign will inject the issues of free speech, lower taxes and corporate welfare at strategic points into the election debate.



Fighting Big Brother and Elections Canada

"The new Canada Elections Act is a draconian and Stalinist piece of legislation which tramples all over constitutional freedoms," fumed Robinson. "We will not be intimidated by this draconian piece of legislation which isn't worth the paper it is written on. Free speech is not a government sanctioned $498 per riding privilege. It is a right for all citizens which no law can or should diminish or extinguish."

So-called third parties (including the CTF) are limited to spending $150,000 (or $498 per riding) to promote issues or candidates during the forthcoming election. Meanwhile, political parties can be spend upwards of $25 million (much of it eligible for taxpayer reimbursement) during the campaign.

"The Elections Act was crafted on the premise that voters are stupid and that only registered political parties and candidates should frame the election debate," added Robinson. "Well, we fundamentally disagree. Elections are about ideas. And ideas and voters are at the heart of our political system, not political parties. We will not be intimidated by this unconstitutional law."



The Weekly Spend-O-Meter

Should the election be called, the CTF will track all the tax and spending promises of each of the five major political parties on a weekly basis in the CTF Spend-O-Meter. Each Wednesday during the campaign, an updated Spend-O-Meter will be released to the media and posted on the CTF web-site at: www.taxpayer.com so Canadians can track the promises of each party.

The Spend-O-Meter will be updated by 11am EST on the following dates:

October 25th November 1st November 8th

November 15th November 22nd

"Election campaigns are filled with spending promise after spending promise after spending promise," noted Robinson. "And with all parties potentially trying to one-up each other in disposing of an anticipated $25 billion surplus of over-taxation revenues, our Spend-O-Meter will serve as reality check for politicians and taxpayers alike."

"By tracking the tax cut projections and spending promises of each party, Canadians will have an apples-to-apples comparison method by which to judge the believability and credibility of each party's platform," added Robinson.



Ending Corporate Welfare

In tandem with the CTF Spend-O-Meter, the CTF will also unveil its "No Corporate Welfare Pledge" and challenge each party leader along with all nominated candidates to sign the pledge to end all forms of direct taxpayer subsidies and conditionally repayable loans to businesses, large and small.

"Political parties are trying outdo each other to curry favour with the new-economy. Whether it is showering dot.coms with seed funding, shoveling more money into the aerospace industry or providing conditionally repayable loans to environmental science firms, at the end of the day it is still corporate welfare," said Robinson. "Whether it is the new economy, the old economy or a regional economy, funneling taxpayer dollars to businesses is wrong. It's time to see what politicians agree with us."

In support of The Taxpayers Campaign, CTF federal director Walter Robinson will be delivering three major speeches and releasing one major report.



Speeches

October 12, 2000 (Toronto, Ontario)
Conference Board of Canada 2000 Business Outlook Conference
"The Taxpayers Agenda in a Post-Deficit Canada"

October 26, 2000 (Collingwood, Ontario)
Collingwood Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards
"Challenges, Choices and Competitiveness: The Taxpayers Perspective"

November 16, 2000 (Kitchener, Ontario)
Confederation Club
"What Should the Ballot Question Be "



Reports

November 2, 2000 (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
"Wasted Effort and Dollars (WED): A Critical Look at Western Economic Diversification (WED)"

"We intend to make Campaign 2000 a model for how citizens can play a more meaningful role in an election campaign. Speaking freely, loudly and often to drive the issues, frame the ballot question and keep the candidates honest is the ultimate goal of The Taxpayers Agenda," concluded Robinson.



Third Party Advertising

According to Elections Canada - "new rules apply to third parties who advertise during an election to promote or oppose a candidate, a political party or the leader of a political party, or to state their positions on an issue with which a registered party or candidate is associated.

A third party is a person or group other than a candidate, a registered political party, or its electoral district association.

• A third party that spends $500 or more in election advertising must register with the Chief Electoral Officer and appoint a financial agent.
• A third party that spends $5,000 or more must appoint an auditor.
• A third party can spend no more than $3,000 in any single electoral district, and no more than $150,000 in total.
• A third party must report all contributions received for the purpose of election advertising up to six months before the election was called, the name and address of every such contributor who gave more than $200, and all advertising expenses during the election period.
• A third party cannot use foreign or anonymous contributions for election advertising.
• A third party must identify itself in all election ads.

CTF Point of View

• Freedom of speech is a constitutional right, not a state sanctioned privileged.
• Third party "gag-laws" have been repeatedly struck down by the courts in Canada as unconstitutional and unjustified restrictions on freedom of expression.
• The CTF testified before the relevant committees in the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada during deliberations on Bill C-2, before it was passed to become the new Canada Elections Act. Testimony given to the House of Commons