Record Number of Grits Won't Be Reimbursed

Candidates who failed to get one in 10 votes could be stuck with big bills without funding from Elections Canada.

Ninety-two of the Liberal party's candidates in the recent election didn't pass the threshold of votes needed to be reimbursed for much of their campaign spending, according to an analysis by iPolitics. Elections Canada stipulates that any candidate who receives more than 10 per cent of votes in a riding gets back 60 per cent of what they spent during the campaign. Compared to 2008, when 36 Grits didn't make the cut, and 2006, when 25 didn't, the 92 this time around are indicative of a massive drop in public support for the party. The NDP, on the other hand, had 306 of 308 candidates pass the threshold, which will certainly help that party's coffers once the Conservatives axe the per-vote subsidy in the upcoming budget.