Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Pallister says no to revamped per-vote subsidy

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 09/20/2012 10:48 AM | Comments: 0

PC Leader Brian Pallister doesn't agree with taxpayer funding for political parties. (MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister's message for Bill Neville is: Don’t waste your time.

Pallister said today his PCs don’t want anything to do with the Selinger government’s efforts to make taxpayer subsidization of political parties more palatable.

The NDP recently enlisted Neville, a University of Manitoba political scientist, to come up with a more acceptable mechanism for supporting political parties over the next three months.

Four years ago, the NDP under Gary Doer created a taxpayer subsidy to help political parties deal with the financial hit from its earlier ban on corporate and union donations. Each registered party was allowed to apply annually for a government payment of $1.25 for each vote it received in the last general election, to a maximum of $250,000.

But the Tories turned up their noses and labelled the subsidy a "vote tax" and refused to apply for their share. The NDP, placed in an awkward political position, followed suit.

As a result, the NDP has passed up $1 million in taxpayer funding over the past four years while the Conservatives have refused roughly $800,000.

Pallister said Thursday any political party worth its salt should raise its funds from its supporters.

He called on the NDP and Neville to halt their plans for a revamped vote subsidy.

"A vote subsidy is simply a lazy levy that allows money to flow into political party coffers without politicians going out and engaging with voters and earning the support of Manitobans," he said. "Participation and financial contributions to a political party should be voluntary.

"We believe this proposal would further disengage Manitobans from the political process," he added in a statement. "Only a tired political party would support a proposal that would pick the pockets of hardworking Manitobans."

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.