After significant reforms, Canada’s political parties now havetheir income and expenditure closely controlled, and are moredependent on public funds

Many democracies including the US and UK have struggled with party funding reform. Canada is unusual in its ban on funding from corporations and trade unions. As part of USApp’s coverage of US neighbors, Canada and Mexico, Stephen Crone examines how party funding had been reformed in Canada. In the last decade, Canada has seen its regulatory system for party funding shift rapidly from one of spending controls and moderate public funding, to one where both income and expenditure are exhaustively regulated, and parties rely to a far greater extent on public funds.