Let’s end sordid history of politics and money

Call to ban corporate, union donations is a good one, writes Charles Smith.

The relationship between political parties, political power, and big money has a long, sordid history in Canada.

In many ways, the relationship between big money and political power is entrenched in the country’s DNA; Confederation itself was premised on major public investment in the subsidizing and building of private railways across the country. As E.A. Heaman demonstrates in her magnificent book, A Short History of the State in Canada, the interconnections between state and private power have long been an obstacle to truly democratizing our country, primarily because entrenched interests in both the public and private realms are overly reliant on money to run campaigns or exert influence on politicians or political parties.

This relationship has consistently led to political scandal in all levels of government. In Saskatchewan, the relationship between government parties and their donors has long been a problem, as rivers of money fill party coffers through cash-for-access events or directly through campaign contributions.

The only reporting mechanism required by the province is to publicly declare who has donated to the party. Beyond those meagre requirements, individuals, companies, unions, public agencies and not-for-profits can donate as much money as they desire. While we cannot predict how such donations might lead to concrete policy changes, it is worth asking what large institutional donors expect when they donate significant sums of money to political parties.

We do know for certain that the public has record high levels of cynicism towards government, political parties, and politicians of all stripes, with one recent poll showing 80 per cent of Canadians believe the country’s elites are out of touch with the challenges working people face on a daily basis. With such distrust, what are sensible ways that political leaders can reform our democratic institutions and rebuild trust in government?

In Saskatchewan, that loss of trust has been front and centre in light of recent data demonstrating that the Saskatchewan Party has received record donations from outof-province corporations, engaged in high-profile cash for access events and even received money from public institutions. This comes in the wake of the mounting scandal surrounding this government’s relationships with private interests.

To the credit of some Saskatchewan Party candidates, former attorney general Gordon Wyant is promising a government inquiry into the questionable land deals surrounding the Global Transportation Hub and former leadership contender Jeremy Harrison promised new government accountability measures before he prematurely left the race. Yet, while both of these policy planks might solve an immediate political problem, neither addresses what has become a structural problem of distrust in Saskatchewan politics.

Currently, the most promising plan to address the issue of big money in Saskatchewan politics is NDP leadership hopeful Ryan Meili’s proposal to ban corporate and union donations to political parties. In addition to voluntarily refusing corporate and union donations during his campaign for leadership of the NDP, Meili’s plan, if implemented, would take money out of the political process and replace it with donations from individuals.

Given the corruption scandal engulfing the government, it will be interesting to see if Meili’s proposal is adopted by candidates in both parties. His leadership opponent, Trent Wotherspoon, has already been facing questions of trust by entering the race after having become interim leader after stating repeatedly that he would not do so. He has also been very public in his opposition to corporate and union donations, but does not appear to have taken up Meili’s challenge to do away with that influence during the NDP leadership campaign.

Meili’s proposal will by no means solve all the issues that lead to government scandal. By seeking to take large corporate and union donations out of politics, however, Meili has introduced a proactive policy proposal that has the potential to rebuild the trust of Saskatchewan’s working people in the broader democratic process.