Mr. Speaker, on January 29, the government introduced a bill on political financing that provides for the payment of a quarterly allowance to registered political parties
This is really just a bonus given to the established parties, so that they can build their election war chests with public money. This measure will hinder the emergence of new parties which, like independent members, will not receive any public funding but will be subject to the constraints in the new law.
Instead of worrying about keeping the existing parties in good financial health, the government should have followed the lead of Quebec and made provisions such that the allowance given to the parties would be contingent on producing accounts, in order to reimburse the real expenses incurred.
The government seems very timid when it comes to integrity, because it could have gone a lot farther, making it more difficult to get around the spirit of the law by such subterfuges as the “in and out” method which was favoured by a certain political party in the last general election, and which will no doubt be used once again.