Another Conservative Hidden Agenda Item

"Our view is that there is a role for some public finance. But it has got to be tied to a party's own efforts, or to the willingness of voters to actually contribute this money. And that's not the case here." Prime Minister Stephen Harper

The Conservative campaign promise to remove party subsidies is now being met with concrete plans to finally phase out the program. There are many who claim that the subsidy to political parties is an integral part of a democratic society. Just as there are those who rebel at the very idea of furnishing such funds through public taxes. Leaving political parties free to go about other business rather than extend themselves in the direction of fund-raising as part of their business plan.

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, in bringing in new guidelines that cut corporate interests off from supporting political parties felt it expedient to assist the parties in this way. Phasing out the subsidies will eventually save the Treasury $30-million annually. Not a whole lot of money considering what the Canadian budget is in its entirety, but doing away with it satisfies the philosophy that people need not be forced to pay through their taxes, for parties they have no wish to support.

It transcends absurdity that a political party dedicated not to the welfare of the entire country, but to the eventual separation of a province from Confederation is supported by tax funds paid into by the country as a whole. It makes considerably more sense that such a party as the Bloc Quebecois persuade its supporters to put their money where their aspirations lay. The $2.7-million paid out to the Bloc Quebecois enabled them to sit back in comfort and pursue their separatist agenda.

Of all the political parties, the Bloc Quebecois raised less funding on their own than any other party; even the Green Party was more actively involved in fund-raising than the Bloc. The $2 per vote per year for any party receiving over 2% of a general election vote will be gradually phased out in a time-table that is fair and gives ample time to the parties to launch their own fund-raising efforts.

All the parties; the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP and Greens made a considerable effort on top of the public subsidy to raise funds themselves from their supporting public. Only the Bloc Quebecois made what could be considered a negligible effort. It is an assault against reason that Canadians should be expected to pay for a political party like the Bloc with its single-minded purpose to have Quebec separate.

That this absurdity is now scheduled to pass into history is a fitting end to an inappropriate and ill-thought-out 'legacy' scheme.