Dear Members,
As you know, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Government has taken action to reform financing of political parties.
We eliminated large personal donations and banned donations from unions and corporations, to prevent unfair influence on political parties through money. But more needed to be done.
The previous Liberal government established a per-vote subsidy for political parties – even for parties that make no effort to raise funds on their own. Last year alone, the cost to taxpayers of this subsidy was $27 million. It is worth noting that the greatest beneficiary of the per-vote subsidy, in terms of subsidy relative to other funds raised, was the Bloc Québécois.
Governments have a duty to use Canadians’ tax dollars with great care, and only in the public interest – especially in a time of fiscal restraint, when families are struggling to make ends meet.
Conservatives have always opposed per-vote subsidies, in part because they are in no way related to parties’ own efforts to raise funds, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has kept its promise to phase out the per-vote subsidy of political parties over the next three years.
As the Conservative Party received the most votes in the election, our Party is impacted more than any other political party. Therefore, we must adapt now to ensure we are in the best possibly financial position for the next federal election. Waiting to make the necessary changes would be financially irresponsible.
Effective January 1, 2012, memberships will cost $15 per year, or $60 for 5 years.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.
- OSCA Board of Directors
