Angry in the Great White North

On the question of the Liberal Party supporting Elizabeth May and the Green Party by not fielding a candidate in the riding Central Nova, the question of what constitutes "support" comes up:

Dion reportedly broke the news in a conference call Thursday evening with senior Nova Scotia Liberals.

CP reports that many opposed the deal, but others were in favour of helping bring down MacKay.

It's one thing to concede the field. The Conservatives and Liberals have a tradition of yielding a riding to a newly selected party leader who is trying to win in a by-election (but not in a general election). This is clearly different. Can "helping" go too far?

We all know that in Canada, a political party cannot accept donations from corporations and unions, only from individuals, and only in the amount of $1,100 per year. Gifts must also be reported.

Are the Liberals planning to work on behalf of Elizabeth May? Canvas, print posters, organize events, rent a bus?

This all costs money, and the amounts that can be spent are carefully restricted.

I don't think the Liberal Party can transfer money, or services with monetary value, to the Green Party. I also doubt they can sign over the cheques written to the party by individual citizens without running afoul of some law, or certainly not without enraging the donors who obviously did not donate to the Green Party. If the Liberal workers volunteer to work with the Green's, does that constitute a gift? Since it would make Elizabeth May beholden to the Liberals, it would certainly seem so:

Candidates may not accept any "gift or other advantage" (see definition below) from the day on which they become candidates for the purposes of these provisions (see definition below) to the day they withdraw or become members of Parliament, or election day, in any other case.

The gifts or advantages to which these provisions apply are those "that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence [the candidate] in the performance of his or her duties and functions as a member, were the candidate to be elected."

It's all very murky, in part because the law did not envision these sorts of backroom deals:

Earlier Friday, NDP Leader Jack Layton said the deal was undemocratic and denied Canadians the right to choose who will represent them in Parliament.

"It's incredible that this matter of such importance is being decided by two leaders in secret," Layton said at a news conference in Ottawa.

"That's not what democracy is about. It is the citizens that ought to make choices about who is going to be representing them."

Layton said he was disappointed in May, who announced her plans to run against MacKay earlier this year.

"It's disappointing and somewhat surprising that Ms. May, who professes to be someone who stands on principle, would have so quickly slipped into the muck of backroom wheeling and dealing," said Layton.

I have a feeling this could get a lot muckier.