"Your vote has extra value for your party" - The Globe and Mail

I had forgotten about this since it had first appeared, but it's at least a reminder that your vote is worth something even if the party you vote for doesn't stand a chance in your own riding. Not as good as if we actually had proportional representation, but it's better than nothing.

Thanks to C-24, from this time on, all political parties will be funded on the basis of how many people cast votes for them in the previous election. Your vote is worth exactly $1.75. Whoever gets your vote gets that money. And in political life, money is oxygen.

Some people think that the change will benefit the Liberals over other parties, because they traditionally garner the most votes. But in fact the Liberals stand to lose in the deal, which is why then party president Stephen LeDrew called campaign finance reform "as dumb as a sack of hammers."

Mr. LeDrew knew, as all Liberal bagmen know, that the Liberals would always be able to raise more money than other political parties. Because Liberals have almost always been the government, they have had access to corporate donors that no other party could command. The Conservatives, unless they happened to be both united and in power, always came a poor second in fundraising, while the NDP had to rely on unions to finance their modest campaigns.

But from this election forth, all that has changed. Now you are the single biggest donor to a political party, through your vote. Maybe you're a strict environmentalist, but you don't appreciate the NDP's dependence on the labour movement. The Green Party is a logical choice for your vote. And now you know that the Greens will get your $1.75 every year until the next election, no matter what happens in your own riding. They can use that money to hire research staff, lobby the media, buy advertising. One day they might even be able to parlay their increased visibility into seats in Parliament. All thanks to you.