‘Colluding’ on corporate cash
Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker says the leaders of two mainstream political parties benefit most from keeping corporate donations
The leader of the Green Party of P.E.I. is accusing the premier and Opposition leader of “colluding” on the decision not to ban corporate and union donations to political parties.
Peter Bevan-Baker has raised concerns about Premier Wade MacLauchlan’s flip-flop on campaign financing several times in the legislature this spring.
In May 2016, MacLauchlan announced he would eliminate political donations from corporations, businesses and unions entirely and place a cap only on donations from individuals of $1,500 a year.
He also promised public consultations on campaign finance in the summer of 2016.
But no consultations were held, and six months later, MacLauchlan backtracked, saying he will continue to allow corporate donations and, instead, impose a cap of $3,000 for businesses, individuals and unions.
Last week, Bevan-Baker asked the premier who advised him to reverse this decision?
MacLauchlan replied, saying he met with both Bevan-Baker and Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Fox to ask for their views, but that it was Fox who asked him on two
occasions not to ban corporate donations to parties.
On Wednesday during question period, Bevan-Baker says this shows the two mainstream political party leaders were “colluding” on this decision.
“A quick scan of the political
donations would expose why both the premier and the leader of the Opposition would be happy to collude on such a turnaround,” Bevan-Baker said.
“Corporate donations to both parties are counted in the
hundreds of thousands of dollars every years, accounting for the majority of party revenues.”
Bevan-Baker says he had a “one-minute” discussion with the premier last year where the premier floated his idea of capping corporate political donations rather than banning them entirely.
Bevan-Baker says he feels MacLauchlan’s reference to several conversations with Fox shows collusion between the two mainstream political party leaders.
“Collusion is working in secret to come up with a plan, and I certainly think this fits that.”
Fox denies ever having any conversations with MacLauchlan on campaign financing, despite the fact he has previously told The Guardian he did have informal conversations on this matter with MacLauchlan.
He rejected any notion he colluded with the premier on campaign financing reform, but he did say he has “no issue” with corporate donations to political parties and that he supports placing limits to donation amounts.
MacLauchlan defended his decision to cap, and not ban, corporate political donations.
He says Islanders support political parties mainly through fundraising dinners, and that Islanders prefer to buy tickets to these dinners through their companies.
“It was considered desirable in the traditions of support for the democratic process of this province to continue with that tradition.”
But Bevan-Baker notes the changes MacLauchlan has proposed would allow business owners to continue to donate as individuals through their companies, as there are no limits to the number of times anyone or any entity can donate to parties in P.E.I. nor are any such limits currently planned.
“It reminds me of when property owners could vote in each and every district in which they owned property,” Bevan-Baker said.
“Donating to political parties, after all, is like voting with your money. And business owners get two votes.”