•  CTF Praises federal government for proposing elimination of per vote subsidy

TORONTO/WINNIPEG: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) commended the federal government for committing to end the $28.6-million annual political welfare subsidy scheme.

The subsidy scheme, passed in 2003 by the Chretien government, provides political parties with $1.95 for each vote it received in the previous election.

"We're in tough economic times, so this is exactly the place to start tightening the belt," said Kevin Gaudet, acting CTF Federal Director. "We've opposed the subsidy scheme since 2003 because political parties should have to seek voluntary donations from Canadians, not steal tax dollars from the public treasury."

For 2008, each party received:

• Conservative Party of Canada - $10.5 Million
• Liberal Party of Canada - $8.7 Million
• NDP - $5.1 Million
• Bloc Quebecois - $3.0 Million
• Green Party - $1.3 Million

"Many politicians will claim that parties need the financing to stay afloat," added Gaudet "But how can they justify forcing taxpayers to pay for political attack ads, especially when we're about to run a deficit "

"It's absurd that Canadian taxpayers are forced to subsidize through their taxes, political parties that they do not support, especially in the case of the Bloc Quebecois - a party that seeks to break up our country" added Colin Craig, CTF Manitoba director.

To help political parties handle the cut in funding, the CTF provided some free advice on ways they could cut down on spending:

• Better Policies - if political parties were more in tune with the people they represent, they wouldn't have a problem raising voluntary donations
• Fly Commercial - just like average Canadians, political parties leaders could fly commercial instead of using private jets during elections
• Reuse Election Signs - instead of buying new signs each election, parties could practice what they preach and recycle their signs
• Electronic Media - greater usage of web sites and email campaigns would mean less expenditures on print material.
• Less Attack Ads - cut back on running attack ads and focus on the issues
• Hard Work -individuals can still donate $1,000 each to political parties. Ever heard of fundraising