We don't want you, but we'll take your money
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 | 03:12 PM ET
Is there a glitch in the system? The Conservative Party's much vaunted Constitutent Information Management System (CIMS,) the datatbase that keeps details on millions of voters across the country, might need some refreshing.
CIMS helps identify Conservative supporters the party can hit up for cash. A few weeks ago that led to a phone call to former Conservative MP Bill Casey who was kicked out of the Conservative caucus after he voted against last spring's federal budget, saying the government was breaking its deal with Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Accords.
Casey says he took the call from the Conservative Party thinking, "Maybe they want me back!"
But no such luck. What Casey says he heard was, "There's an election coming up right away, we notice you've contributed to the party in the past, and we wondered if you'd like to make a contribution?"
Prime Minister Harper had already made a point of saying Casey was out of the party for good and that the party will run another candidate against him in the next election.
But apparently Conservatives think Casey's money is still good.