Conservative party lowers membership fees amid pressure from MPs
The Canadian Press | Posted: April 23, 2016 4:48 PM | Last Updated: April 23, 2016
MPs said higher fee could discourage people from joining party
The Conservative party's national council has voted to lower its membership fees after several MPs called for change.
- Jason Kenney wants Conservative Party membership fee hike rolled back
- Conservative MP slams Tories for becoming an 'elitist, white-only club'
- Trudeau pushing for new membership rules for Liberal Party of Canada
A one-year membership has dropped to $15 from $25, and a two-year membership is down to $25 from $30.
On Friday, former defence minister Jason Kenney published a post on his website, saying the party should lower fees to $10 annually to encourage broader membership.
He wrote that the fee had recently been raised to $25 by the national council, and he feared the cost was discouraging people from joining the party.
Earlier in the month, Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai issued a news release that said he thought the $25 fee would turn the party into an "elitist and white-only" club.
Obhrai said the Conservative fee was the highest of all of Canada's parties.
Three-year and five-year membership fees have also dropped in the new plan, and a new four-year membership option is now available.
The party says that anyone who purchased a party membership this year for $25 would receive an additional year of membership for free.