Flaherty to slash public funding for federal parties

[jdobbin]

So what they should be easy to track, but no one person should have undue influence over a party and that is want huge donors have.

The Tories do have one person who has undue influence on the party: Harper.

The cabinate runs the country, parties on the dole do not, while I am all for lower government spending, political party welfare is one of the most useless things to spending tax payer money on, all it does is fund signs and TV ads, it does nothing to further a country.

You have a pretty inaccurate view of what central office of a party does.

He is a solution for your leadership race, cut back on the expense and bank some money you may need it.

The Liberals will be ready in the next election. It will be interesting to see if the small Tory donor base holds up if the economy goes down and they are to blame. I suspect they will try to change the rules again.

[Alta4ever]

The Tories do have one person who has undue influence on the party: Harper.

You have a pretty inaccurate view of what central office of a party does.

The Liberals will be ready in the next election. It will be interesting to see if the small Tory donor base holds up if the economy goes down and they are to blame. I suspect they will try to change the rules again.

Have you ever been told to live within your means?

IF not.

Live within your means.

[DrGreenthumb]

You WANT corporate donations?? You like it when the rich can buy off politicians, do you?

The only reason why you and Harper want this is because everyone knows that the wealthiest Canadians, are the main base of the Conservative party. Of course people with a lot of money (conservative supporters) can afford to donate to political parties who will protect their established wealth, more than the supporters of parties that are not made up up the wealthiest Canadians can afford to donate. The NDP base for instance is largely wage earners, and the working class, generally living paycheque to paycheque, without thousands of dollars in stocks, in saving accounts and fat trust funds givin to them by their rich daddies. I can't wait till these pig conservatives are gone. The Cons are a disgrace to Canada.

[M.Dancer]

I can't wait till these pig conservatives are gone.

I have a response to a statement like this, but Charles Anthony has asked me to be nicer to those who make lamed ass comments like this.

[Alta4ever]

The only reason why you and Harper want this is because everyone knows that the wealthiest Canadians, are the main base of the Conservative party. Of course people with a lot of money (conservative supporters) can afford to donate to political parties who will protect their established wealth, more than the supporters of parties that are not made up up the wealthiest Canadians can afford to donate. The NDP base for instance is largely wage earners, and the working class, generally living paycheque to paycheque, without thousands of dollars in stocks, in saving accounts and fat trust funds givin to them by their rich daddies. I can't wait till these pig conservatives are gone. The Cons are a disgrace to Canada.

Total BS the average dobation tot he party is $115. Got anything else. Or just more of the same old same old.

[madmax]

EVIL GENIUS

This article is a good summary of the game at play and the players affected.

The opposition's outrage that the Tories have turned off their welfare tap? Harper can point out that his own party will take the biggest hit, losing upwards of $10 million in funding. He can also note the NDP's ability to raise money from donors, and ask why Liberals can't do the same.

Elizabeth May

You can almost see the satisfied smirk creeping across the PM's thin lips at that prospect. Elizabeth May gave him no end of annoyance in the last election, sitting directly beside him at the debates while delivering insults. A party that's never elected a single member dictating to the Tory leader where he went wrong. Let's see how insulting she is when she can barely afford train fare to Ottawa

NDP & BQ

The NDP, oddly enough, might survive relatively unscathed, having matched the Tories in developing a n effective grassroots fundraising apparatus, but the Greens and the Bloc would be deep in the doo-doo.

The Bloc depends on public financing for almost 80% of its income. Here's a party that has spent 20 years in Ottawa lecturing Canadians on how unworthy they are to host a province as incomparable as Quebec, and which survives only thanks to the income from taxes paid by those same unfathomably tolerant Canadians.

The LPC

but the Liberals in particular are in no shape to contest another war. Securing another $20 million loan could be nigh-on impossible: banks won't lend even for worthy enterprises these days; a threadbare political party down on its luck and already deep in hock is hardly an attractive risk. There's also the small matter of the party being without a leader. The two most effective campaigners are locked in a dual for the top job, leaving Stephane Dion, an interim leader unloved by Canadians, and just weeks from having led the party to a new low at the polls, to try and mount a campaign.

and Harper

He really is a devil, this Harper. Crafty. Very crafty .

Well there you go again

[Oleg Bach]

At least he is the devil that we ALMOST know.

[Wilber]

I've never been a fan of this system and won't be sorry to see it go but I do question the timing of getting rid of it. Seems to me there are bigger fish to fry. Interesting though that when the Liberals brought it in, they had the most to gain from it in actual dollars. Now that the Conservatives want to get rid of it, the Tories have the most to lose.

[Topaz]

Total BS the average dobation tot he party is $115. Got anything else. Or just more of the same old same old.

We know that Harper supports the oil and gas so what stops the CEO's of those companies to give each of its employees 115.00 and tells them to go donated to the Conservative party?

[Topaz]

The Minster of Finance says the government wants to lead by an example to Canadians. So here's an idea.....take only half your income!! In the private sector there are workers who are taking pay cuts, losing COLA, paying more of their own health care etc. It seems to me if they reduced their own pay cheques, especially since thei don't work a full year, Canadians could probably get more than the 30 million!

[Wilber]

We know that Harper supports the oil and gas so what stops the CEO's of those companies to give each of its employees 115.00 and tells them to go donated to the Conservative party?

What's to stop the owner of a company who supports the Liberals from doing the same? Basically you are saying that a party which gets big donations from a few donors is more democratic than one which gets small donations from many. The tinfoil must be getting heavy.

If in fact the Liberal party is the natural governing party of the center as they claim, it must be really be screwing up if it can't get enough donations to keep its head above water.

[Topaz]

What's to stop the owner of a company who supports the Liberals from doing the same? Basically you are saying that a party which gets big donations from a few donors is more democratic than one which gets small donations from many. The tinfoil must be getting heavy.

If in fact the Liberal party is the natural governing party of the center as they claim, it must be really be screwing up if it can't get enough donations to keep its head above water.

POINT.... Harper said that HE wanted to get along with the oppositions parties and get through the economy crisis, HOW is he going to get along with the parties if he starts down this road to a one party government??? His new advisor, from the Harris government is doing to same thing as he did in the Harris government...attack mode! The Cons are either testing the Libs to see how far they will go or Harper knows that they are in trouble which they created and have hopes of another election to either win a majority or lose and let the Libs get the country out of the deficits and the blame for any further debt. Someone told last year , that they thought Harper was out to breakup this country and I started to wonder after the differences with the Atlantic Accord and the transfer payments and the more HE pulls these stunts the more it looks like he may be. no more tinfoil..plastic wrap please!

[madmax]

POINT.... Harper said that HE wanted to get along with the oppositions parties and get through the economy crisis,

From what I am reading, Flaherty has nothing on offer regarding the economy. I am still looking for a decent article on the subject. That said, they have picked a fight and knew that this would really tick off the opposition, regardless of the measures behind the action, the positions look two fold. That Harper is not trying to work with the opposition but provoke them, as well as put the opposition parties into a position of self interest/survival for some.

While there are merits to changes to election funding laws, and plenty of room for debate and implementation, I think the CPC may have done something unimaginable to me................

are the LPC cornered?

The tactics used in defence probably depend on the nature of the individual badger: some are more aggressive than others.

They may fight back.

Federal Liberals appear willing to stand up to PM

The Gazette

Published: 4 hours ago

OTTAWA - Federal Liberal MPs held an emergency caucus meeting Thursday morning, only hours before Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is expected to table a proposal to strip federal political parties of their taxpayer funded subsidies.

The meeting comes amid rumours that opposition parties could be discussing the possibility of forming a coalition government in the event the Harper government falls as a result of the controversial proposal.

Or they may not

But while Liberals were quick to denounce the proposal on their way into the meeting, on the way out they echoed Liberal leader Stéphane Dion's mantra that they won't allow it to divert attention away from the more important question - what is the Conservative government doing to help Canadians hit by the economic crisis.

It is clear to me that the OPPO are discussing a coalition. I think there is too much for them to overcome, and this is normally unthinkable.

But if it does happen, what is the shortest Minority government ?

[Alta4ever]

The Minster of Finance says the government wants to lead by an example to Canadians. So here's an idea.....take only half your income!! In the private sector there are workers who are taking pay cuts, losing COLA, paying more of their own health care etc. It seems to me if they reduced their own pay cheques, especially since thei don't work a full year, Canadians could probably get more than the 30 million!

Obviously you haven't read the budget update their is a lineor two that deals with the amount of pay going to MP's. If you want you 1.95 to go to a party for you vote, write a cheque, or just stop by an EDA office and gove them a buck ninety five.

[Alta4ever]

Really this all boils down to the left being entited to their entitlements. Heaveb forbid they actually have to go and get their hands dirty and ask for a donation.

[Shady]

So why can't the other party get their s--t together and learn how to fund raise from their party base.

Exactly. The Liberal Party and the NDP need to be federally subsidized because no one wants to financially support their terrible ideas. The free market works!

[Alta4ever]

Exactly. The Liberal Party and the NDP need to be federally subsidized because no one wants to financially support their terrible ideas. The free market works!

Wouldn't be nice if the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc, weren't writing cheques out of our wallets for their party business.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Alta4ever

[Topaz]

Really this all boils down to the left being entited to their entitlements. Heaveb forbid they actually have to go and get their hands dirty and ask for a donation.

So are you in favour of a one party government no matter who the party is??

[Alta4ever]

So are you in favour of a one party government no matter who the party is??

No, but I am not in favour of haveing tax payer money going into poltical parties, and it won't be a one party state as this won't wipe the parties out. It will make them be a little more careful with their finances and live within their means, it will also mean that they will have to be more accountable to their grassroots and base support.

Edited November 27, 2008 by Alta4ever

[unspoken]

I think it's a great idea to slash this. You can say all you want that your vote is your $1.95 donation, but here's what isn't being said:

1) The lower limit of 2% being in place. The votes of all 158,968 people who voted for independents or other parties other than the Big 4 and the Greens don't see their near-toonie going to who they support. Why should their vote count for less?

2) You can't say it's each person's $1.95. Realistically, it's more than that, and the reason is very simple... MANY people do not pay any federal tax, yet still get a vote and exercise it. There's more than a good chance that they're putting a $1.95 into the pocket of a party you don't support, but you the taxpayer gets to fork over the non-taxpayer's share.

Private donations are a much better way to go.

[madmax]

The Green Party have emailed their members already about the "attack on democracy". The irony being they don't have a seat in the house and therefore have no MPs who can vote. But they certainly know what is important to them.

The LPC appear to be backed into a corner, and it the talk is getting serious that a coalition is in the works. This was unthinkable a few hours ago.

I look forward to the removal of Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. The shortest government in the history of Canada.

And wait. I am starting another poll.....

[unspoken]

The Green Party have emailed their members already about the "attack on democracy". The irony being they don't have a seat in the house and therefore have no MPs who can vote. But they certainly know what is important to them.

The LPC appear to be backed into a corner, and it the talk is getting serious that a coalition is in the works. This was unthinkable a few hours ago.

I look forward to the removal of Stephen Harper as Prime Minister. The shortest government in the history of Canada.

And wait. I am starting another poll.....

As a Conservative supporter, I'd love to see it. When the people of Canada see Layton and Dion/Iggy/Rae/Leblanc on their knees grovelling to that dirty separatist Duceppe just to have the numbers to make it work, the next election (which will probably be called about a week later when the coalition falls apart) will result in a huge Tory majority.

[madmax]

As a Conservative supporter, I'd love to see it. When the people of Canada see Layton and Dion/Iggy/Rae/Leblanc on their knees grovelling to that dirty separatist Duceppe just to have the numbers to make it work, the next election (which will probably be called about a week later when the coalition falls apart) will result in a huge Tory majority.

You got ahead of me.......

Imagine Duceppe as Prime Minister. The poll is up have fun.

[Wilber]

POINT.... Harper said that HE wanted to get along with the oppositions parties and get through the economy crisis, HOW is he going to get along with the parties if he starts down this road to a one party government???

Don't blame the Conservatives if the other parties can't get enough support voluntarily from Canadian citizens to justify their existence. Forcing citizens to donate their tax dollars to political parties they don't support is hardly democratic.

On the other hand, in spite of my desire to see this program gone, I don't think playing political chicken over this issue is very constructive considering the seriousness of the economic situation.

[capricorn]

So are you in favour of a one party government no matter who the party is??

The best thing that could happen in all of this is a coalition of the left. Let the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc occupy somewhere on the left and the Conservatives occupy somewhere on the right. I would not mind at all if such a coalition occupied government for a time. We would finally have a two party system, not this pizza parliament that simply can't get its act together. Canadians would have a clear choice between the two styles of governance.

Therefore, I would not be upset in the slightest if the opposition paid Michaele Jean a visit and got their wish to replace the government. Let's see if this coalition of the left can wave a magic wand and isolate the country from global economic woes. I'd like to see this coalition save the auto industry, the economy and the planet and, eliminate all poverty and deliver a health care system free of all flaws. Oh, and I'm sure they would do it all without going into deficit.