Next week, the federal government will announce its new budget and some of the policies it plans to pursue. One such policy is the phasing out of political party subsidies. This was the issue that led to the prorogation of Parliament in 2008. As no political party held a majority in Parliament at that time, the question of whether we went to the polls, appointed a new prime minister or prorogued Parliament was the pertinent issue of the day. Now that the Conservative Party of Canada has a majority in the House of Commons, there is little chance that Stephen Harper will fail to win the confidence of Parliament this time around. But what does this mean to democracy in Canada? Is this in the best interests of Canadians?
The objective of all political parties is to form the government, giving it the power to make policies for our country. Though these parties might claim to have a mandate from the people, in truth they are serving their own thirsts for power. Why should Canadian taxpayers support such self-interested goals? Surely it is in the best interests of all that these political parties become self-funding, finding their financial support from their membership.
On the other hand, the majority of Canadians are not members of a political party. This means political parties might not have a large base from which to raise funds. This, in turn, means their abilities to promote their policy positions come the next election will be greatly hampered, as campaigning is a costly business. In other words, if a political party has no funds to campaign, then how do we as citizens know what they stand for? Though we are duty bound to seek out this information, most of us fail to do so, succumbing to the messages of the party with the largest advertising budget. The danger here is the erosion of the principles of democracy, which includes the idea of fair and free elections.
Thankfully, in Canada, we do have election laws limiting who can finance a party. Corporations and organizations are not allowed to do so; only citizens can and they are limited to $1,100 per party on an annual basis. This has been a step in the right direction since it was introduced in 2003, as it means corporate interests cannot hijack our democracy. Our parties, as well as each riding candidate, are also limited in how much they can spend in each election, which again helps to level the playing field, giving legitimacy to Canada’s democracy.
This does not mean that Canadians will contribute to an election campaign. In fact, few Canadians do. It does mean that Canadians will have to work to do our part if we want our democracy to flourish under this new system. This does not mean that we will have to give money, but we will have to make the effort to become more informed in our choices. Political parties will also have to adapt to become more creative in their means of communicating with voters. This could be a positive for Canada’s democratic system, as their goal for power will not change. Maybe this will inspire them to reach out to more Canadians — as they beg for handouts they can listen to our concerns.
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
