Clark calls for postelection panel on fundraising
Opposition decries plan for independent panel to study issue after May 9 election
It’s all about political gain for her, all about the game, about being seen to do something when not actually doing anything,
Sustained criticism of B.C.’s political fundraising system forced Premier Christy Clark to open the door to reforms Monday, reversing months of insistence that the province’s rules were working just fine.
Clark announced her intention to strike an independent panel on political financing after the May 9 provincial election that would gather feedback from parties and the public before delivering recommendations to the legislature.
The premier called on her political opponents to support the idea, saying working together would ensure none of the changes benefited a single party.
But with less than two months before a provincial election, the leaders of the B.C. NDP and B.C. Greens refused to offer the premier a lifeline out of a growing controversy that’s seen the Liberal party criticized for its aggressive corporate fundraising and cash-- for-access events. NDP Leader John Horgan said even if a panel was launched, Clark couldn’t be trusted to follow through on its recommendations.
He called on the premier to instead support his private member’s bill that would ban corporate and union donations, as well as set a personal donation limit and restrict contributions to B.C. residents.
“I think the premier should get on board and we could pass it today,” he said.
“Her track record on listening to the advice of experts is fairly underwhelming.”
Clark said she would not accept any suggestions that would see the public subsidize political parties, but “everything else is on the table to be considered” by the panel.
Horgan offered only to “take a look” at her proposal.
The abrupt shift by the Clark government to consider political donation reform came days after Elections B.C. launched a probe into whether lobbyists are donating money to political parties and expensing their donations back to companies. That’s illegal under provincial law.
Elections B.C. handed the investigation to the RCMP on Friday, saying it needed to maintain a perception of neutrality while administering the upcoming provincial election.
In the legislature Monday, the Opposition NDP characterized the investigation as a police probe of only the Liberal party, to cries of outrage from the Liberals, who pointed out all parties fall under the probe and the NDP is just as aggressive in holding similar cash-for-access fundraisers.
Clark has insisted for months that the public would be satisfied if political parties provided more transparency on donations. The system works well, and is the way it’s always been, she has said.
But on Monday, as she was introducing long-promised legislation to force parties to release their donor list every two weeks, the premier changed her tune.
“We can’t say just transparency will solve all the problems, because we know that’s not enough either,” she said.
Various bills promised by the NDP, Greens and independent MLA Vicki Huntington only look at part of the issue compared to a fully independent panel, Clark said.
“I think voters would say they’d like, first of all, to have it outside the hands of politicians,” she said.
“All of the bills in the legislature reflect the views of various political parties who have a vital interest in the way that this will turn out. We don’t want a system where changes are made that are intended to advantage the incumbent party and disadvantage the other parties.”
B.C. Green Leader Andrew Weaver called the panel idea “kicking the can down the road.
“It’s all about political gain for her, all about the game, about being seen to do something when not actually doing anything,” he said.
Clark said the political financing panel is contingent on her party winning re-election May 9, at which point it would introduce legislation as soon as possible. The premier said she’d prefer to have co-operation selecting panel members, but said the postelection period might provide a calmer environment to allow for cross-party support.
“I don’t think there’s any benefit to anybody in the province to decide we’re not going to do it,” she said.
“Because if we don’t, campaign finance reform will be done by an incumbent government on its own terms, which is exactly the problem they’ve had in Ontario and in Ottawa with campaign finance reform over the years.”