In the Fall of 2008, PMSH toyed with the idea of cancelling the party funding formula that rewards each political party approximately $1.95 per year for each vote they received in the last election. Immediately, the three parties who squirrel away their funds in this manner cried foul and out of self interest they threatened to take the government down.
Well I have the short term solution that would a) bind the three national parties and b) spread the wealth in a manner that would minimize the threat of regionalism.
The formula for funding is below:
Funding = votes x $1.95 x (candidates that the party runs)
………………………………………………..(total number of ridings)
Thus the Green Party, the Liberal Party, the NDP and the Conservative Party would garner approximately $1.95 per vote which is about the same as the current formula. ($1.95 x (300/308) = approximately $1.90 per vote)
But a regional party, like the Bloc Quebecois, would only garner $1.95 x (75/308) or approximately $0.48 per vote. Considering the fact that Bloc is using tax dollars to promote separation, this nationalistic approach to party funding would probably go over well with the average Canadian.