In its editorial “Those Donation Limits” today, The Globe and Mail argues the new $1000 annual donation limit is too low. I agree wholeheartedly.
I cannot imagine how it will be possible for political parties to raise sufficient funds to cover the costs of national election campaigns, maintaining national offices, consulting with voters, holding policy and leadership conventions, communicating with party members and the public, supporting over 300 constituency associations, etc. on a meagre $1000 per donor (no corporate or union donations permitted).
The shenanigans the Conservatives Party has perpetrated over convention financing were no doubt possible because the Conservatives have a substantial war-chest that should get them through the next election. After that, they may well be in much the same position as the other parties with little ability to raise sufficient funds. With the Accountability Act in place, I hope the government will see fit to raise the donation limits to a more realistic level. I don’t expect that to happen before the next election.
Not everyone agrees that political parties should be financed with the encouragement of generous tax credits for donations to those parties. The system does serve, however, to broaden the base of support and democratise political parties. Without the tax credits encouraging contributions from a large number of donors, parties would inevitably have to revert to soliciting wealthy individuals (how many Canadians would consider a $1000 donation affordable?) and so-called “ordinary Canadians” would be exiled from the political process. I agree that prohibiting corporate and union donations is a good thing. I believe the restrictions on “special interest group” support for political parties (donations, complementary advertising, etc.), which Stephen Harper opposes (or did for years when he headed the National Citizens Coalition and took Elections Canada to the Supreme Court), are a good thing and should be retained.
Raising the donation limit to $5000, the level prior to December 2006, would not permit politicians to be “bought“ but would make it more feasible fro political parties to engage Canadians in a reasonable and responsible way.
I cannot imagine how it will be possible for political parties to raise sufficient funds to cover the costs of national election campaigns, maintaining national offices, consulting with voters, holding policy and leadership conventions, communicating with party members and the public, supporting over 300 constituency associations, etc. on a meagre $1000 per donor (no corporate or union donations permitted).
The shenanigans the Conservatives Party has perpetrated over convention financing were no doubt possible because the Conservatives have a substantial war-chest that should get them through the next election. After that, they may well be in much the same position as the other parties with little ability to raise sufficient funds. With the Accountability Act in place, I hope the government will see fit to raise the donation limits to a more realistic level. I don’t expect that to happen before the next election.
Not everyone agrees that political parties should be financed with the encouragement of generous tax credits for donations to those parties. The system does serve, however, to broaden the base of support and democratise political parties. Without the tax credits encouraging contributions from a large number of donors, parties would inevitably have to revert to soliciting wealthy individuals (how many Canadians would consider a $1000 donation affordable?) and so-called “ordinary Canadians” would be exiled from the political process. I agree that prohibiting corporate and union donations is a good thing. I believe the restrictions on “special interest group” support for political parties (donations, complementary advertising, etc.), which Stephen Harper opposes (or did for years when he headed the National Citizens Coalition and took Elections Canada to the Supreme Court), are a good thing and should be retained.
Raising the donation limit to $5000, the level prior to December 2006, would not permit politicians to be “bought“ but would make it more feasible fro political parties to engage Canadians in a reasonable and responsible way.
