An Oak Bay councillor is hoping a ban on union and corporate campaign donations at the provincial level will trickle down to local elections.
Coun. Kevin Murdoch is putting a resolution before the Union of B.C. Municipalities asking the province to limit and restrict local campaign donations. The organization’s convention starts Monday in Vancouver.
“It’s something I believe in. I think union and corporate donations should not be involved in politics,” Murdoch said.
Premier John Horgan this month introduced a campaign finance reform bill that would ban union and corporate donations, while limiting individual contributions to $1,200. The B.C. NDP, Liberals and Greens have all said they support getting big money out of politics.
Murdoch said he wants to take advantage of that momentum. A similar resolution passed at the UBCM convention in 2015, but the province did not act on the ban.
“When all three political parties announced they were supporting campaign finance reform, it seemed like the right time to ask again,” he said.
B.C. Attorney General David Eby was asked this past week why the new provincial bill didn’t include anything about local elections, especially given that millions have been donated to past Vancouver campaigns.
Eby responded that the bill is aimed at the provincial level.
“We are very aware of the request that’s been made by Vancouver city council multiple times for reform of campaign finance rules at the municipal level,” he said.
“We are still working on that. I am hopeful that we will be able to address that, but this bill will not be the bill that does that.”
While there is currently no ban on big-money donations, new rules for the 2018 municipal election will limit campaign spending based on population size.
Based on 2016 population sizes, Victoria candidates would be allowed to spend a maximum of $53,936 — less than half of what the top two spenders dished out in the last election. In 2014, former mayor Dean Fortin spent $128,636, while third-place finisher Ida Chong spent $108,120.
Several candidates in Greater Victoria depended on union or corporate donations for their 2014 campaigns, but those interviewed said they would vote in favour of a ban.
Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell received no support from unions, but listed $14,677.50 in donations from corporations, including $10,000 from a numbered company whose director is listed as Allen Vandekerkhove.
Atwell’s total campaign spending was $52,838.70, including about $21,000 of his own money.
“There certainly needs to be a fair system of elections,” he said. “The province is bringing in expense limits for local elections, which is a good thing. I think the province should follow up and bring in term limits, too.”
He said he wouldn’t be concerned about raising funds for another run.
“Whatever the law is, it’s established for anybody, so everyone has the same opportunity.”
About half of the campaign contributions that Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt received — $12,514 of $25,821— came from unions, including $5,500 from CUPE 50, the city employees’ local.
Isitt argued for a distinction between union and corporate donations, but said he would support a ban on both to make things simple.
“I think it’s definitely important to get big money out of all levels of politics. I think sometimes it can be problematic when we equate labour organizations to be equivalent to corporations. The big difference is a labour organization is a democratic organization of working people. A corporation is, in most cases, a dictatorship dominated by shareholders,” he said.
“But I think in the current political context, it’s probably most feasible to eliminate both union and corporate donations and I do fully support that policy.”
