Comments on: Media Frames Defunding of Parties as an Attack on Opposition

By: A Christmas Turkey Named Canada

A Christmas Turkey Named Canada — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:56:18 +0000

[...] Harper’s finance plan an effort to destroy the Liberals financially, or is it a sound belt-tightening policy? If your political dingle dangles to the left, you’d [...]

By: Werner Patels

Werner Patels — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:24:17 +0000

The media don’t get it, and the opposition parties don’t get, but it’s really so simple: if a party cannot sell its ideas to members and supporters, and thus generate revenue from donations, as Barack Obama has done so expertly, it loses its legitimacy and does not deserve to be kept alive at the expense of taxpayers.

It is at times like this that people have a chance to see the real nature and character of their politicians. When the Liberals are willing to thrust the country into a political and economic crisis of immense instability â€“ and this would trigger not only a recession, but a full-blown depression in Canada â€“ over a lousy $1.95, voters realize that there is a reason why the Liberals have been unable to raise funds to stay afloat: because they are a joke and really have no place in the political landscape any longer.

What this sorry episode has made crystal-clear is that the Liberals are still have ways to go before they can consider themselves reformed, remodelled and reconstituted. At this time, they’re still the same old morally and politically corrupt party they were between 1993 and 2006.

Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t seem likely that the next leader will be able to change that. Ignatieff, despite spending most of his adult life outside of Canada, because this country was beneath him, has already donned the old and tattered Liberal mantle, and Rae is spouting the same stale platitudes (in shorthand: “Liberals good, Conservatives bad”).

By: Adam Dyck

Adam Dyck — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:36:47 +0000

On a strictly ideological sense, this is a good move. However, as has been mentioned, the money doesn’t matter.

Looking at the big picture, this is a good political move, a crappy move from a moral stand point, and while it’s idealogically sound, it brings to mind Obama telling people to pump up their tires to save gas and help the economy. It may help, but not in any palpable way.

By: glacialgal

glacialgal — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:42:21 +0000

Great post Shane. Celine? LOL. She has more cajones than Stephane!

I just heard Baird talking about this. He said that Canadians ELECT their government. We don’t need the likes of political has-beens such as Chretien and Broadbent telling us what we should do. Gerard Kennedy, the Obama-wannabe, chimed in later but I had to turn it off so that I could listen to nails on a chalkboard to soothe my ears after hearing his first cry-baby sentence.

By: Abattoir

Abattoir — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:10:30 +0000

Once again, the Conservatives have shown themselves to be masters of politics. If they get away with this, they will have scored a masterful stroke against the opposition, and will likely cripple the other parties for years. I agree that political parties should be self-funded, but this move leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

At a time when the Conservatives should be worrying about the economy, it looks like they are still playing with politics. I don’t know what I’m more scared of – that they will succeed with this maneuver, or that they will fail. I doubt Jean would automatically call another election, so that means a coalition government of the opposition is plausible. Can you imagine Deputy Prime Minister Gilles Duceppe?

By: Charles Anthony

Charles Anthony — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:33:15 +0000

In principle, I have to agree that it is wrong to force tax-payers to fund political parties. Now, I would love nothing more than to have the federal government cut its budget. Thus, cutting this funding is a good thing. However, the first thing that comes to my mind is that this money is peanuts. In relative terms, I spend more money on coffee every single day than the measly $1.95 that one of the parties will get for a vote. This is really no money at all relative to the entire federal budget.

There is no doubt that it will financially cripple the opposition. I really do not care about the opposition parties much but at the same time, I am not entirely happy with a one-party state.

By: James

James — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:10:21 +0000

I wonder what public financing for political parties would have done for the progressive conservatives in 1993. It would have severely slowed their descent in the polls. And what would the 2006 liberals have done in 2006 without public financing. You are right, this public financing only serves to sustain the status quo. I think Canadian politics moves slowly enough already, scrapping public finance can only help the political discourse in this country.