The B.C. Liberals moved to more regular reporting of political donations on Friday after refusing to ban corporate and union donations.
The party used its website to post the first batch of contributions for the year and promised to provide regular updates.
The Liberals also released a list of more than $12 million in donations received in 2016. The party accepted nearly $8 million in corporate donations and $4.4 million from individuals.
Premier Christy Clark promised “real-time reporting” last year while under fire for holding private political fundraisers at which people pay thousands of dollars to attend dinners with her.
In rejecting a ban on corporate and union donations, Clark said the province was well served by existing rules that limit spending during campaigns and require parties to disclose the names of donors and how much they contribute.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said in a statement that the Liberals’ real-time reporting system, as well as strict spending limits on parties during campaigns, “means that citizens can have confidence in our democracy.”
But the B.C. NDP, which has repeatedly introduced private members’ bills to ban corporate and union donations, accused Clark of “tinkering” with reporting instead of moving to get big money out of politics.
“We don’t think it’s going to do anything to clean up B.C. politics,” said Jodie Wickens, NDP MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain.
“Christy Clark is already legally required to report these donors. I think she came up with this as a gimmick after coming under fire for refusing to ban corporate and union donations,” Wickens said..
“People in British Columbia are going to see through that. They don’t want gimmicks and distractions. What they want is a ban on big money in politics.”
Wickens said the NDP plans to reintroduce its private member’s bill in the upcoming legislative session.
“If [Clark] really wanted to do something meaningful, she could pass that bill before the election,” she said.
But Wickens said the NDP can’t act on its own to ban corporate and union donations without harming its chances in the upcoming campaign.
“The reality is that we’re not going to fight an election with one hand tied behind our back,” she said.
“You don’t unilaterally disarm, and British Columbians can’t afford four more years of Christy Clark.”
B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, however, accused the NDP of “duplicity” for criticizing Clark while continuing to organize private fundraising events with Leader John Horgan.
“If you criticize someone for something then you don’t do it yourself,” he said.
Weaver, who represents Oak Bay-Gordon Head, announced in September that his party would no longer accept donations from corporations or unions.
“We are able to stand and be principled in the upcoming election,” he said, adding that donations have increased since the announcement.
“We banned union and corporate donations and as soon as we did that, our fundraising went through the roof.”
