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With a stable majority government for the next four years and the Liberal Party still reeling from the election results, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party is calling on supporters to dip into their wallets to help the party counter a new foe.
In a letter sent out in the past few days, Conservative Party President John Walsh is urging supporters to help the party counter a “hailstorm” of negative attacks from the media, pundits and the &#8220;opinion elite.&#8221;
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Walsh says the party had to fight off attacks during the last election and expects them to continue.
“During this election campaign, we faced an onslaught of negative attacks like never before from the media, from pundits and from anti-Conservative lobby groups and union executives,” Walsh wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by iPolitics.
The problem, said Walsh, is that a Conservative government jeopardizes their interests.
“The fear among the opinion establishment is that if our government is successful, and Canadians see the benefits of lower taxes, sensible and less-interventionist government and more personal freedom, the Conservative Party of Canada will continue to win future elections,” he wrote.
“Quite simply, smaller government means less power for the left-leaning, opinion establishment and they will fight every step of the way. We saw their tactics last time and they will be even nastier and more desperate next time.”
Walsh calls on supporters to become Conservative Party Partners so the party can promote Harper’s low tax, job creation plans and “educate Canadians on the benefits of less government and a stronger Canada.”
That plan includes five key priorities: creating jobs through training, trade and low taxes; supporting families with the party’s Family Tax Cut and more support for seniors and caregivers; eliminating the deficit by 2014-15 by “controlling spending and cutting fat;” making streets safe with new laws to protect children and the elderly and defending Canada by developing Canada’s North, cracking down on human smuggling and strengthening the armed forces.
However, Walsh warns “the anti-Conservative opinion elite” will fight the Conservatives “every step of the way.”
“Your support now will help us counter the hailstorm of negative attacks that are already raining down on our democratically elected government.”
The letter does not say how the party plans to counter the groups it identifies as a threat.
The letter comes as Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has tabled a budget that calls for the $2 per vote public subsidy that parties receive to be phased out. The move means parties will be more dependent on raising money directly from potential supporters with letters such as Walsh’s.
In recent years, the Conservative Party has been far more successful than any of its rivals in raising money through direct donations to the party.
Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey has not yet responded to a request for an interview.
elizabeththompson@ipolitics.ca

CPC appeals to party supporters <br/> to finance fight against media, pundits