A law that paid every Liberal and Progressive Conservative candidate on P.E.I. $3,000 towards their campaign expenses, and nothing to other candidates, is skewing democracy, says Green Leader Sharon Labchuk.

Green Leader Sharon Labchuk came closest amongst the third party candidates to reaching the 15 per cent threshold. CBC

Labchuk wants the law around campaign reimbursements changed. In the election earlier this month, Liberal and Tory candidates each received $3,000 because they passed a 15 per cent threshold of the popular vote, making them eligible for campaign expenses reimbursement.

None of the candidates for the other parties reached that threshold, so none of them received a cent. With 13 per cent of the vote in her district, Labchuk came the closest. In the eight general elections since the reimbursement rules were introduced in 1985, only six candidates who were not Tory or Liberal received the subsidy.

"That is fundamentally not democratic," Labchuk told CBC News.

"That allows undue influence using taxpayers' money to privilege certain parties over others."

Lowering the threshold to 10 or five per cent would have a dramatic impact on the number of candidates receiving reimbursements.

The Supreme Court of Canada struck down a similar law in 1999 that discriminated against smaller parties. It required that federal candidates reach a 15 per cent threshold to get their deposit back.

Toronto lawyer Peter Rosenthal fought that case.

"In my view, that's a very high threshold. It's improper to allow funding to skew democracy, in my view," said Rosenthal.

Rosenthal said lowering the threshold would not necessarily cost taxpayers more. The same amount of money could simply be distributed differently.

But UPEI dean of arts and political scientist Don Deserrud noted 15 per cent isn't out of line with the laws in most provinces. "It's supposed to discourage parties that can't really get any real support," said Deserrud.

"So parties that are being frivolous or candidates that are being frivolous, so not everybody gets it."

Desserud thinks most people want to see these subsidies end.

Labchuk said she would welcome that, because at least it would mean a level playing field.