The fact that the truckers Freedom Convoy has raised more than $7 million online through GoFundMe has so frightened politicians and bureaucrats that they now want the names of donors and the amounts they have given.
A January 29 CBC report by Elizabeth Thompson headlined “Critics call for new rules for online fundraisers after protest convoy takes anonymous donations” tells how,
“Critics are calling on the federal government to introduce new rules for online fundraising campaigns after a fundraiser... raised millions of dollars — in part from anonymous donors and people using fictitious names.”
Apparently they are worried the funds could “be used by big businesses or foreign state actors to circumvent Canada's political financing rules.”
No one has complained, No one has been accused of wrong doing but Elizabeth May of the Green Party says “online fundraising campaigns should be required to register with Industry Canada in order to protect consumers.
Apparently Canadian need to be protected from themselves.
May said “the names of donors should be available to government officials, even if they aren't published on the website.”
So the government wants to know the names of, and amounts given, by each person “to protect consumers.” As well, the government should oversee the distribution of donations, she said.
A “consumer protection authority could look into whether donations collected online go to their intended cause.”
Ms. Thompson reports, “Earlier this week, NDP MP Charlie Angus said people donating to a political protest calling for an end to COVID-19 measures shouldn't be allowed to hide behind anonymity.”
The Freedom Convoy is not a political protest. People aren’t protesting a political party, they are protesting government policies.
In the report, Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, said “anonymous donations to political causes are worrisome.”
The Democracy Watch website says it advocates “Cleaning up and making governments and corporations more accountable to you.”
It also says “Democracy Watch is supported only by donations from individuals and citizen groups.”
Conacher told Ms.Thompson, "Anonymous donations to citizen advocacy groups are a problem because they could be coming from a corporation, big business or other organization and that makes the citizen group a front for that business or other organization," he said.
"Voters have a right to know if some business or other organization is actually bankrolling a group that claims to be citizen-supported,” he said.
You can donate to Democracy Watch online. I wonder if Democracy Watch will be the first to turn over their donors list.
Where would this “consumer protection” end? Would the government require every charity or cause to comply, or just the ones they are afraid of.
Rand Kemsley
705 667 0211
Editor's note: Mr. Kemsley is a director on the board of the People’s Party in Nipissing-Timiskaming riding
