OTTAWA — The Conservative party is using opposition threats of taking over government to issue an emergency plea for political donations.

Irving Gerstein, the chairman of the Conservative Fund Canada, is appealing for "emergency donations of $200 or $100" from party faithful to avert what he says is the hijacking of Canadian democracy.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government precipitated a looming constitutional crisis last week when it delivered a highly provocative fiscal update that included no economic stimulus measures, cuts to government spending, an attack on collective bargaining rights of civil servants -- and a partisan poison pill on party financing.

The government has since withdrawn its plan to cut the public subsidies that are the lifeblood of its political opponents.

But after initiating a collapse of confidence in the government by the opposition majority, the Conservatives are now using the party financing debate to further pad their coffers.

Over the past two years, the Conservatives raised twice the private political donations of all the opposition parties combined.

The Liberals, who publicly acknowledge their modern fundraising machine is inadequate, have also appealed to donors by citing the government's attack on the $1.95-per-vote party subsidy.