Dix vows to ban union and corporate donations to B. C. political parties

B. C. NDP leader Adrian Dix has promised a ban on union and corporate donations to political parties if he’s elected in a month.

The influence of large private donations is hurting democracy and is causing the public to lose faith in politicians, Dix told supporters at a Vancouver community centre on Sunday.

“The influence of big money continues to hurt our democracy,” Dix said. “Returning individual citizens to the centre of our political process is at the core of efforts to restore faith that those we elect are acting in the broader public interest.”

“I think this is good for the business community and the labour movement as well. Groups will continue to support political parties but will not be involved in fundraising.”

Donations should come from individuals only, Dix said, and his proposed change would take effect in January if the NDP wins the May 14 election.

The NDP leader also promised to create a legislative committee in the fall, made up of representatives of all the political parties, that would examine donations and make recommendations to make the electoral process more transparent.

The committee would also include elected independents, he said, as well as representation from any party that received at least five per cent of the popular vote but failed to win a seat in Victoria.

Dix said he hopes the changes will lead to greater transparency in the financing of political parties.

B. C. Liberal MLA Mary Polak suggested the NDP proposal would inevitably lead

The influence of big money continues to hurt our democracy. ADRIAN DIX B. C. NDP LEADER

to taxpayer funding of political parties, though the federal parties no longer get government funding while only being allowed to take individuals’ donations.

“We disagree with the use of taxpayer money to fund political parties, it’s not the way to control spending and make sure that we’re growing the economy,” Polak said in a release. “It’s very concerning that the NDP are trying to hide this important detail.”

While Dix makes the case that the corporate/ union ban is about integrity, the policy would appear to represent a major shift in financial power in the direction of his own party.

Statistics show that in 2012 the B. C. Liberals raised about $ 10 million while the B. C. NDP raised $ 7 million — in effect a $ 3- million advantage to the Liberals.

B. C. Conservative leader John Cummins released his own statement after Dix’s announcement. He said he proposed a similar donation ban more than two years ago, when he first agreed to run as the party’s leadership candidate.

“I have long believed that special interests, insiders and cronies have had too much influence in politics,” Cummins statement said. “Its better late than never for Adrian Dix and the NDP to come around to our point of view,” he added.