No Taxpayer Funding For Political Groups

No Taxpayer Funding For Political Groups

Recently, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government is considering ending taxpayer funding for political groups.

It's about time!

At the Alberta Institute, we've been calling for years for provincial and federal governments, regardless of which political party is in power, to stop giving taxpayer money to organizations that engage in political activities or lobby governments for more funding for their own activities.

To be clear, organizations should be free to say what they want, advocate for whatever causes they believe in, and participate in political debates... with their own money.

That's an important part of a free society.

But there's a huge difference between having the freedom to advocate for a cause and expecting taxpayers to pay for that advocacy.

We say there should be a clear line between the two.

If an organization wants to receive taxpayer funding to deliver social or charitable services, it should be 100% focused on delivering those services.

It shouldn't use public money to lobby the government, influence public policy, or campaign for political causes.

And if an organization wants to engage in political advocacy, that's also perfectly fine.

But in that case, it should be funded solely through voluntary donations by the people and organizations who support its political aims, not through money collected from taxpayers who may or may not agree with their politics.

Again, to be clear, this isn't about silencing anyone, restricting free speech, or deciding which causes are worthy of support.

It's about fairness, accountability, and making sure taxpayers aren't forced to financially support political positions they may strongly disagree with.

And this principle should apply equally to everyone, on all sides of the political spectrum, regardless of the causes they champion.

It's time for governments at every level to end taxpayer funding for political organizations.

If you want to advocate, lobby, or influence government, you should be free to do so.

Just don't send taxpayers the bill.

If you agree, sign our petition calling for No Taxpayer Funding For Political Groups.