Canada's small political parties will share around $500,000 after an Ontario Superior Court judge struck down a law that allowed federal parties to be paid $1.75 per vote they received only if they took more than two per cent of the vote.

Canadian political parties that received less than 2% of the vote in the 2004 election
 Party  % of Votes
 Canadian Action Party  0.1
 Christian Heritage Party  0.3
 Communist Party of Canada  0.0
 Libertarian Party of Canada  0.0
 Marijuana Party  0.2
 Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada  0.1
 Progressive Canadian Party  0.1

The law ensured big political parties took home lots of public money after each election, but made votes for small parties worthless in a sense.

A challenge to the law was brought forward by a group of small parties, including the Canadian Action Party, the Christian Heritage Party, the Communist Party of Canada, the Green Party, the Marijuana Party and the Progressive Canadian Party.

Among them, only the Green Party took enough of the vote in the 2004 election — 4.3 per cent — to earn money for each ballot cast in its favour.

Funding needed to communicate to voters

In his reasons for the ruling, Judge P. Theodore Matlow wrote that the law violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

He noted that parties needed funding to make voters aware of their platforms and candidates, and said a voter needs that information in order to vote in a way that genuinely reflects his or her preferences.

He said the law made it difficult for members of small parties to "play a meaningful role in the electoral process."

Matlow said he recognized that the money per vote was not much, but "such funding would substantially increase the possibilities that such parties could make voters aware of their platform and candidates."

Tracy Parsons, leader of the Progressive Canadian party, said the ruling restores fairness to the electoral process.

"If you're going to fund any, you should fund all," said Parsons, who said she didn't really believe taxes should fund political parties at all.

However, she said the money will help her party to communicate to voters.

"At least now they'll know we exist."

With files from the Canadian Press