A fallout of the adscam scandal is that business organizations and individual business executives are more than ever motivated by ethical factors in deciding whether to give to politicians and to whom to give. Ethics trump a variety of other considerations ranging from the perceived competence of politicians to the desire to earn goodwill and lobbying influence.

While ethics have risen to the top as a pre-eminent consideration, it is by no means clear that the Stephen Harper-led Conservative party is benefiting from this change of perspective. The good news for Harper and the CPC is that those who identifying with him are more prone to giving money than those who identify with Paul Martin and the Liberals. Furthermore the unification of the Alliance and PCs to form the CPC is a moderate motivator for giving to the new party among some business people. The bad news is that business executives do not identify with the CPC leader. They identify more strongly with Martin and increasingly with Alberta Premier Ralph Klein. It is almost as those who have become sceptical of Martin are “parking” their hearts and wallets with Klein.

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