Harper wants to end election subsidies

[Locutus]

And so we should.


OTTAWA — A majority Conservative government would turn off the per-vote subsidy tap, saving taxpayers nearly $30 million a year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday.

Harper said it’s time for political parties to be weaned off taxpayer dependence and raise money on their own without drinking from the public trough.

In 2010, political parties sucked $27 million from public coffers. The Conservatives received the most ($10.4 million), followed by the Liberals ($7.3 million), NDP ($5 million) and the separatist Bloc ($2.8 million).

Taxpayers handed $1.9 million to the Green Party and it has no seats in Parliament.

In 2008, the Harper Conservatives planned to end the subsidy, but that sent the opposition parties into a frenzy and sparked the coalition partnership between the Liberals, Bloc and NDP.

Parties are eligible for the subsidy, provided they win at least 2% of the national popular vote.


Harper wants to end election subsidies | Decision 2011 | News | Toronto Sun

[dazed&confused]

Recycle old argurements, isn't the funding part of the reason for the first progouation. Instead of whining about party funding Harper should be explaining why Kevin Page's cost estimates of the F35 procurement are wildly inflated vs the estimates by his own Defense ministry (we're talking BILLIONS here rather than millions for party funding)

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Recycle old argurements, isn't the funding part of the reason for the first progouation. Instead of whining about party funding Harper should be explaining why Kevin Page's cost estimates of the F35 procurement are wildly inflated vs the estimates by his own Defense ministry (we're talking BILLIONS here rather than millions for party funding)

He did not make it an argument for the previous election. This was the oppositions contention at the time. Now he is. A conservative majority will deal with this. Pretty straight forward.

Perhaps his opponents should bring the other stuff up. Thats how elections work.

[dazed&confused]

Not saying it was an argument in the last election. Remember when Harper made his visit to GG in Nov/Dec 2008. Remember the reason for that visit. Why was it necessary for the opposition to coalesce as one voice. Let me say in part, one of those reasons was Harper & Flaherty's flagrant attempt to end election subsides.

Oh a majority you say, I think Harper blew that possibility yesterday.

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Not saying it was an argument in the last election. Remember when Harper made his visit to GG in Nov/Dec 2008. Remember the reason for that visit. Why was it necessary for the opposition to coalesce as one voice. Let me say in part, one of those reasons was Harper & Flaherty's flagrant attempt to end election subsides.

Oh a majority you say, I think Harper blew that possibility yesterday.

LOL that you think that had any impact on anything.

And yes, the subsidies were a big issues. Iggy, Layton and the Bloc are all heavily dependant on taxpayer subsidies to spread their lies. The Conservatives have a nice source of donations from which they spread their lies. The Whiners .... I mean co-alition ... claimed as their reason for trying to defeat the government that since this was not an election issue, Harper had no mandate. They tried to hide behind other issues but the loss of funding for their parties from the taxpayer was certainly the main driver.

Now its an election issue. Personally, I doubt it will be a majority. I don't think a majority is possible as long as the Bloc gets significant support. I suspect it will probably be a similar breakdown as you have now.