Angry in the Great White North

I'm not certain how to gauge the true strength of the finances of the Liberal Party of Canada.

In some ways, they seem to be desperate for cash, but then I see signs of the party expecting their members to spent like there is no tomorrow.

On the frugal side, the Liberals are using potlucks to raise cash:

Still reeling from Monday's humiliating byelection losses, Liberals are turning their attention to another horror story - their dismal fundraising record.

And in November the party hopes to simultaneously stage 100 fundraising dinners across the country, each attended by 50 people paying $50 a head. The event is being billed as "One Night, 100 Dinners."

With November only days away, I checked on Facebook to see how the 100 Dinners project is moving along. I found two events listed for the 100 Dinners project. They were aiming for $20 or $25 dollar donations instead of the $50 donation level envisioned by the party:

I will be hosting one of the 100 get togethers during the week of November 5 with Liberals to show the energy and passion within the Liberal Family. For my dinner, we will be having chilli and rolls (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian chilli will be on offer)

A suggested donation of $25 will be requested for attending my event. A tax receipt will be provided for contributions as per Elections Canada guidelines.

As for the party itself, I couldn't find any pages on the Liberal Party website promoting the program, nor any evidence that the party is advertising this idea, much less setting up any sort of online page or form to help organize the effort.

Nothing on the website for the Ontario wing of the federal Liberals either.

But when I went to the LPC(O) site, I noticed this announcement for the Annual General Meeting:

The LPC(O) AGM promises to be an exciting and unique event, especially as we will be in the beautiful Northern Region! Mark the weekend of November 16th on your calendar as hundreds of Liberals will meet at the Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville for the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario)’s Annual General Meeting.

The cheapest room will cost a delegate $100 per night. Throw on top of that the $200 registration fee, travel expenses, food, and you wonder why people are surprised donations are flat:

According to briefing notes, obtained by The Canadian Press, only 5.6 per cent of Liberal party members have donated so far this year to the party, one of its riding associations or to one of the former leadership candidates, who are struggling to pay off about $3.6 million in cumulative debt.

Only 29 per cent of Liberal MPs have donated to the party and almost none of their staff members. By contrast, 65 per cent of Liberal senators have contributed.

If I was expected to cough up $500 to attend the upcoming AGM, I might not be rushing to cut more cheques for the Liberal Party either. If the Liberals want their members to donate more, then stop making it so expensive to be a Liberal so that there is money left over to donate. And what is it with Liberals and Deerhurst? Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant of the provincial Liberal government got into a spot of trouble over Deerhurst:

The outcry over paying three-quarters of a million dollars to put Crown lawyers and judges up in luxury resorts for an annual professional development meeting is just "boneheaded," Attorney General Michael Bryant said yesterday.

Two conferences held at the luxurious Blue Mountain Resort on Georgian Bay and Muskoka's Deerhurst Resort last year – at a cost of almost $700,000 – were totally legitimate gatherings and good for the local economy, Bryant said.

Judges and justices of the peace racked up a bill of $246,000 at the posh Deerhurst Resort last year, up from $50,000 two years ago.

The delegates to the LPC(O) AGM are off to Deerhurst. Some will be paying their own way, but for others the bills are being covered with money raised by their riding associations, only one week after the 100 Dinners fundraising push. If I was pondering whether to attend one of these 100 Dinners (assuming I was even aware of one nearby), I might be tempted to ask if my donation was destined to be thrown into a financial hole similar to this AGM being hosted at one of Canada's finest resorts.

Or maybe I would just assume that's the sort of thing it would get spent on, and put that money towards the phone bill or something.