Harper Vows to Scrap Party Subsidies

The issue that led to the prorogation of Parliament in 2008 is back on the Conservatives’ agenda.

In an interview Wednesday the prime minister said it is still his goal to get rid of the system that gives millions of taxpayer money to political parties every year. Under the system, each year parties are given $2 for every vote they received in the last election. In what is considered one of Harper’s rare political miscalculations, he first proposed scrapping the subsidies in a fiscal update soon after winning the 2008 election. The surprise proposal outraged the opposition parties because cutting off public funding would disproportionately affect the Liberals, NDP, and Bloc. The three parties threatened to form a coalition, and Harper prorogued Parliament. Wednesday he said there are other systems in place to help parties raise money.