Conservatives penalty doesn't match the crime

This week, the Conservative Party plead guilty to spending more than its national limits in the 2006 election, just as Elections Canada had said in 2006, and which the Conservative Party has been denying for the last 5 years. This outcome is no surprise to anyone who has struggled with the election campaign budgets and the key distinction between national and local campaigns.

The party was fined $52,000 for spending $1.3 million over their limit. Big deal. Not a bad price to pay for winning an election, particularly relative to roughly $8 M the party spent nationally and the roughly $30 M they spent in individual ridings.

I think their spending limit for the next election should be reduced by $1.3 million. That would demonstrate some restorative justice. After all, aren't these the "tough on crime" people?