United Steelworkers paying the salaries of top NDP staffers
One of the B.C. NDP’s largest donors is also directly paying for the salary of the New Democrats’ election campaign director, raising questions about its influence within a party that could form the province’s next government.
The United Steelworkers confirmed that some recent union donations to the NDP are in-kind contributions for party staff, including NDP election campaign director Bob Dewar and deputy director Glen Sanford.
That means the Steelworkers hired Dewar, Sanford, and potentially others, as union employees on contracts, before immediately loaning them back to the NDP campaign to work the election while still being on the Steelworker payroll.
It is a legal manoeuvre, and the value of the pay is recorded on the NDP’s financial forms as an in-kind contribution, with the figures generally released after the election.
“We are providing support to the B.C. NDP so they can run a successful campaign which includes hiring staff, airing ads and supporting local candidates,” the United Steelworkers District 3 said in a statement.
The Liberals leaped to attack the NDP on the issue, with candidate Andrew Wilkinson saying voters should be concerned about the Steelworker influence over the NDP so close to an election.
The union donated $672,576 to the NDP last year, which the Liberals claim is the largest contribution in a single year in B.C. history.
The NDP shot back at the Liberal hypocrisy, noting that the Liberals take in millions in corporate donations annually, and hold exclusive cash-for-access fundraisers with the premier and her ministers, while claiming that doesn’t result in favours or influence within government.
“I think the Liberals are trying to completely muddy the waters,” said Sanford, the NDP’s deputy provincial director.
“Christy Clark is the diva of distraction and she’s just trying to cover for her own party’s record.”
Sanford added that it’s common for political parties in B.C. and elsewhere to obtain staff on loan from unions and corporations, so that the party gets the benefit of their work without having to pay their salary.
“It’s all transparent and has to be reported properly to Elections B.C., and in our case we’re quite happy that organizations for working people support the NDP,” he said.
The Liberals say they have no in-kind party staffers this election. However, the Liberals also raised significantly more money for their campaign than the NDP.