Not to belabor the point, but it's my understanding that the 'party funding per vote' system was established in response to the formal elimination of the previous system where large personal and corporate donors could deduct massive political contributions from their taxes, and were perceived as being able to buy their way into power in the worst third-world type way
Or at least that's the official story. FWIW, people I know who follow such things tell me that the real reason the system was changed was because Chretien wanted to try to stick it to Martin by making it impossible for Martin to glide into power on the back of his large corporate support. Just don't ask me to prove that or give you the names of my sources
Whatever the real motive, when large donations were outlawed, a substitute system needed to be found, and that's where the $1.95 per vote protocol came from. Perhaps the new method doesn't seem reasonable to you, but it seems reasonable to me -- you're going to pay for it one way or the other anyway, because the former donation system resulted in the same cost effects, only they came instead in the form of taxes not being collected because of the unlimited deductibility of corporate donations -- so it's not as if extra money is now going out the door under the new protocol despite the BS you hear to the contrary
One clear benefit of the $1.95 method IMO is that an emerging and/or 'non business aligned' party like the Green Party which now garners 8% of the Canadian popular vote but not yet any seats is able to obtain at least some degree of non-partisan financial support, rather than being left to completely fend for itself in a world where Mom with the $10 donation who enjoys the view of the nearby mountainside could never hope to compete with the $10,000 donation of the company that wants to clearcut the same mountainside
And no, I am not a tree hugger. Canadians just need to be real careful about what they wish for in wanting a US-style system where elected officials get sold to the highest bidder -- you really don't want to do that, trust me |
