taxpayer funded political parties?

Jean, thank you for your note. I understand your concern, I wasn’t sure about the “per-vote allowance” at first either.

Now I like to think of it as a temporary measure to assist parties who are trying to quit using corporate donations. Our provincial politics became so dependent on big money that government can’t even rip it away without causing serious damage to our democracy. Other parties rely so heavily on big money that this bill takes away half their income. Any business owner will tell you that losing half your revenue all at once will pretty much put you out of business.The government can’t let that happen to our major political parties. 

Another thing that won me over was that unlike some of the other provinces, BC’s per-vote allowance would only be temporary. The government plans to end it after the next election. Parties will be forced to adapt to grassroots fundraising - and fast!

So the way I see it, the per-vote allowance gives all parties a chance to get rid of corporate donations right away, while continuing the essential work they do for democracy in BC. Today’s political system in BC relies heavily on parties to engage voters, support MLAs and build election platforms to shape public policy. We may not always agree with other parties but a healthy democracy needs a diversity of voices. No single party has all the answers. That’s one of the reasons our BC Green MLAs support the government’s bill.  The most important thing is to get big money out of politics as soon as possible. If that means helping the other parties adjust, I’m all for it. 

Hope this helps!