Mr. Harper, the Subsidy to Political Parties is a Voice for Canadians, Please Reconsider Your Cut
Update 5:45 PM EST. Conservatives drop party-funding cuts from key motion. CBC.
Dear Mr. Harper, Mr. Flaherty, and Mr. Preston,
I am deeply concerned about your proposed cut of the subsidy to Canadian federal political parties.
While I understand this cut affects all parties, it is particularly harmful to fledgling political parties, such as the Green Party which received 6.8% of the popular vote in this year's election. Canadians are speaking through the popular vote, but this vote is not adequately represented in the current first-past-the-post electoral system. As you know, the subsidy gives $1.95 for each vote to a political party. It is a minimal resource, allowing new parties some voice in representing the Canadians who voted for them. It is one important way to balance the electoral system with proportional representation.
The cut to the subsidy is being proposed as a measure to help in the current economic crisis. In the election campaign, the Green Party put forward some innovative economic ideas. While you may not agree with all of the ideas, in this time of economic crisis it is vital to hear and debate them. This diversity is essential to solving our economic problems.
The subsidy is an investment in democracy, and that is important in good and bad fiscal times. Please reconsider your cut. Mr. Preston, as my Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London, I trust you will follow up with this concern with Mr. Harper and Mr. Flaherty.
Respectfully,
John Miedema
Letter delivered by email with my contact information. Recipients notified that the letter was reposted here and at my personal blog, http://johnmiedema.ca
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Alternate Argument
If you need to cut funding for political parties why not do it in a fashion that makes the system more fair, rather than less?
Adjust it so rather than getting up to a 75% tax rebate for donating to a political party you get the same as you would if you donated to a charity - 15%. Major savings, still allows people to donate but they must donate with their own money rather than with the governments.
The $1.95 per vote is a fairness measure. If Joe Millionaire wants to donate $1000 to his favorite party he can do so with no problem. If Joe Welfare wants to donate $10 he might not be able to as he cannot afford to, let alone $1000. The donation based method of funding encourages parties to cater to the richest part of the population, thus removing all incentive to get a general base but rather to chase down the richest and use that cash to try to gain the average votes required to win in swing ridings. No incentive to do well unless you have a shot at winning a riding, thus more regionalization will occur (bloc Ontario, bloc BC, bloc Alberta, ...).
All around donation based, rather than vote based, funding will lead to polarized politics and a less representative parliament.
Wellington-Halton Hills