OTTAWA — Taxpayer-funded political flyers are likely on their way out the door — for a change.
Opposition MPs successfully passed a motion Tuesday to scrap the so-called ten-percenter practice that allows MPs to send one-page partisan leaflets into other MPs’ ridings in numbers equivalent to 10% of their own constituents.
It cost more than $10 million in 2008, and the Liberals — who moved Tuesday’s motion — vowed to stop the practice immediately.
“There may be one or two that have gone to print that are too late to stop but we are not doing any more, and to the extent that we can stop anything going out, we will stop it,” said Liberal MP John McCallum Wednesday.
But the Conservatives hinted they will continue to send the leaflets until the House of Common’s Board of Internal Economy, which governs the practice, changes the rules officially. Opposition members have a majority on the board.
“Part of being an effective Member of Parliament is to communicate with constituents and Canadians from across the country on issues of current importance ... An informed electorate is essential to a healthy, functioning democracy,” wrote Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an e-mail. “We would support eliminating out-of-riding ten-percenters so long as the restriction applies to all parties.”
Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe said his party has proposed a compromise that would only allow the party whips to send mail into other MPs’ ridings, which would still allow parties to get their messages out, but also keep costs down.
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said the government will respect the board’s decision, whatever it is.
But if the opposition parties are so concerned with saving money, Soudas said, they should support the Conservative’s position to end all political party subsidies, which cost about $25 million a year. He said that would “demonstrate a real commitment” to saving money.
In late 2008, the government tried to introduce legislation ending the per-vote-subsidy of political parties, which sparked the coalition crisis that nearly booted the Conservatives from power.
Trying to settle another procedural bone of contention, the opposition successfully passed an NDP-motion Wednesday seeking to limit the prime minister’s power to prorogue Parliament beyond seven days, which would then require the consent of a majority of MPs.
While that motion isn’t binding and Harper is under no obligation to adhere to it, constitutional expert Peter Russell said it could change the context within which future governors general grant the request.
bryn.weese@sunmedia.ca
