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| You are here: Home > Features > Financing Political Parties and Election Campaigns in
Canada |
Financing Party Politics in Canada
Who pays for election campaigns in Canada?
In addition to addressing concerns about the level of spending by political
parties, Bill
C-24 and other election-spending regulations have been designed to
reduce the dependence of political parties on big business and labour union
contributions.
As of 2001, 95 of the top 100 donors to the Liberal
Party of Canada were businesses and the biggest proportion of
the Party’s income came from corporations. Roughly the same
scenario held true for the Conservative
Party. As a result, while donor businesses may not have directly
benefited from government policy, they were perceived as having a
stake in government decisions. Often, corporations expected that
a large contribution to a given party would give them access to a
Minister or government official, should that party form government.
For example, according to Democracy Watch,
in 2001 Bombardier Inc. donated
over $140,000 to the Liberal Party and
subsequently received over $100 million in government contracts.
Watchdog organizations such as Democracy Watch,
and legislative reforms such as Bill
C-24, have increased the transparency of Canada’s electoral system
and tamed both the perception and actual influence of corporations and
trade unions.
According to Elections Canada, during
the period from 2001 to 2003 (fiscal years), major party contributions
followed this pattern.
2001
Liberal Party of Canada
Individuals ($2,384,538), Businesses ($6,411,391), Unions ($40,481)
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Party
Individuals ($2,940,918), Businesses ($873,989), Unions ($0)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Individuals ($2,192,748), Businesses ($1,457,507), Unions ($0)
New Democratic Party
Individuals ($3,532,241), Businesses ($97,542), Unions ($1,391,652)
2002
Liberal Party of Canada
Individuals ($3,129,405), Businesses ($5,144,528), Unions ($51,214)
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Party
Individuals ($5,956,971), Businesses ($1,121,519), Unions ($0)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Individuals ($2,264,955), Businesses ($1,038,908), Unions ($6,061)
New Democratic Party
Individuals ($4,136,889), Businesses ($95,269), Unions ($1,021,481)
2003
Liberal Party of Canada
Individuals ($6,194,925), Businesses ($10,816,396), Unions ($111,938)
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Party
Individuals ($5,356,912), Businesses ($1,319,144), Unions ($0)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Individuals ($3,152,867), Businesses ($1,155,746), Unions ($0)
New Democratic Party
Individuals ($4,782,777), Businesses ($109,958), Unions ($5,198,717)
Will the New System Work?
Now that Bill
C-24 has been instituted, public financing will be used to replace
prohibited business and union donations.
But critics are pointing to potential problems with this new system. They
note that public financing provisions might not be enough during periods
of frequent elections (brought on by minority governments).
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