Whenever the election does come, Harper has one plan in mind for afterward: the elimination of public funding to political parties. A punishing blow to his opponents. Sure, the idea caused a showdown last autumn, [a Harper] adviser said. "But in retrospect, we should have stuck to our guns. It was strategically smart. It's still strategically smart. We're going to run again on it. And we're going to do it, if we win the next election. It's coming."
Yes, indeed. No surprise here.
As noted previously, for low-income voters who are unable to donate to their party of choice, this would be one more blow. For members of the electorate whose only remaining reason to visit the polls has been that $1.75 contribution to their party, it's a further disincentive to vote. For certain opposition parties, removing the subsidy could well see their demise; hence, it would likely contribute to further erosion of our democracy.
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