The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition some of Canada's biggest companies are making big political contributions in the United States through their American subsidiaries, wading into a fierce debate about corporate money flooding into the U.S. electoral process. The Globe's Shawn McCarthy writes companies such as TransCanada, EnCana, Barrick, Royal Bank and Power Corp. of Canada are actively engaged in political financing and lobbying at the federal and state level, records show. That Canadian participation in the U.S. political process raises some troubling questions about transparency and the appropriate role for corporations in a democratic system. The Globe quotes a new report from Toronto-based Shareholder Association for Research & Education, as saying, "Without knowing the extent of political spending authorized by managers -- including spending on lobbying and contributions to third-party organizations that engage in political advocacy -- shareholders have no way of evaluating the risks or returns from that spending." It is impossible to know how much Canadian companies are spending in total on U.S. political activity because there are several avenues where financing goes unreported.