It seems that the Conservatives have found a way to turn Canada’s looming deficit to their partisan political advantage. The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Conservatives plan on gutting the $30 million public subsidy to political parties, which allocates $1.95 per vote.
Though the government is likely to tout this as a demonstration of restraint in difficult fiscal circumstances, the real motivation for the cuts is glaringly obvious:
Such a measure would cost the cash-strapped Liberals $7.7-million, the NDP $4.9-million, while the Bloc Québécois would take a $2.6-million hit and the fledgling Green party would be out $1.8-million.
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, who won the most votes, stand to lose $10-million.
But proportional to revenues raised last year, the taxpayer subsidy represents 37 per cent of the totals raised by the Tories. That’s far less than the 63 per cent chop for Liberal coffers, 86 per cent for the Bloc and 57 per cent for the NDP. The Greens stand to lose 65 per cent of total revenues.
Any changes to the public financing system should be debated on their own merits. It’s cynical to hide the dissolution of the system amongst a number of other entirely symbolic cuts. Though most of these are designed to stem this government’s tanking credibility as fiscal managers, elimination of the public subsidy is a transparent attempt by the Conservatives to weaken their opponents through manipulation of the electoral financing system. Hopefully the media has jumped the gun on this one, but I have my doubts.
Update: Morton makes a good point here. If public funding is no longer available caps on personal and corporate donations should be removed to compensate for the shortfall. That won’t happen, of course, because it would undermine the advantage this maneuver is sure to grant the Conservatives.
5 responses so far ↓
When the other guy fights dirty, you still have to roll with the punches « More Notes From Underground // November 26, 2008 at 5:50 pm
[...] clusterfuck policies (that’s a highly technical economic term, kids) caused as a pretext to choke off funding to other parties. The Cons know that they have the cash to ride these cuts out – there finances look the best right [...]
Tim // November 27, 2008 at 1:04 am
Removing campaign funding combined with abuse of election spending
rules, Harper’s in/out election spending fraud, destroys the ability
of political parties to compete fairly. And will destroy our fair
democracy and replace it with a corrupted democracy which is hardly
democratic.
Sensible political interests which attract the majority of common
people will not win in Flaherty’s, Harper’s path to corruption.
Instead political interest which make the rich richer will win because
they pay for the Party election campaign expenses. If anything the
current system does not reward sensible political interests which
attract the majority of common people enough.
This is a path to economic and political corruption which will end in
Canada’s destruction.
» “In this, the Conservatives aim to level a strategic blow to the Liberals”. Scott’s DiaTribes: My personal opinions on social and political issues from a progressive standpoint. // November 27, 2008 at 4:14 am
[...] 2: I’d link to all the Progressive and Liberal blogs that are expressing outrage at this tactic, but there are so many of them I’m not sure I’ll be able to list [...]
Warren // November 27, 2008 at 7:32 am
Tim,
Removing the caps wouldn’t be my ideal scenario either. But in the context of removing public funding, I think it becomes a question of how poor we want our political parties to be.
Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy :: Conservatives Go for the Kill // November 27, 2008 at 5:55 pm
[...] other bloggers have noted, the Conservatives are looking to finish off several opposition parties including the Greens and [...]