The New Democrat-Green government in Victoria has
pledged to ban corporate and union donations and to impose strict
maximum-donation limits at the provincial level. Upon the announcement of the
two-party pact (and, moreover, after the BC Liberals’ last-gasp Throne Speech,
which delivered a flip-flop promise of campaign-financing reform), I feared
that the new government would “double down” and automatically impose the same
restrictions at the municipal level – something that I think would have a
catastrophic impact on local-level politics.
I am pleased to report, however, that the leader of one of
the two parties in the new political compact, Green leader Andrew Weaver, has, in
response to a letter from Coquitlam Council urging caution in proceeding with
such changes at the local level (a letter that was sent at my request and supported
by all but one of my Council colleagues), issued a statement promising there
will be “careful deliberation” before action is taken.
And thank goodness for that. As I have declared several
times over the past few years and, moreover, have written in formal submissions
to the provincial government on the matter, stringent donation regulations
would have several unintended, negative consequences, the most worrisome of
which is that they would severely handicap unaffiliated (i.e., independent) and
new candidates, while at the same time giving an unfair advantage to political
machines, parties, and those candidates who are affiliated with organizations
that have a large membership base, such as labour unions. Please read one of my earlier blogs on the issue for a more complete analysis.
In Coquitlam’s letter to the leaders of the three political
parties in the legislature, our mayor, Richard Stewart, pointed out that donors to municipal campaigns do not
receive a tax credit for any portion of their donation, making the financing of
said campaigns more difficult than those at the Provincial or Federal level.
Mayor
Stewart continued that, In light of this, many candidates rely upon business or
other organizational donations to support their campaigns to make up for the
gap in individual contributions.
He also said that Coquitlam Council fears that removing
this mechanism of support could lead to a dearth of candidates seeking local
elected office, thereby increasing the power of incumbency and limiting voices from
across the political spectrum. As well, he
worried that such changes may also encourage an increase in slate politics and
affiliated councils as candidates seek to bolster their support through a
variety of labour and other organizations.
As far as I am aware, Dr. Weaver is the only one of the three leaders to
respond to our letter. Here is the complete text of that response:
“Thank you for your correspondence of June 9 regarding
municipal campaign finance reform. I apologize for the delay in responding.
“I appreciate the concerns you raised regarding the effects
of campaign finance reform at the Municipal level. I share your view that our
democratic systems should be structured to support a wide range of candidates
stepping forward to run for office, from a diversity of backgrounds and
representing a diversity of views.
“In my view, campaign finance reform at both the Provincial
and Municipal levels is an essential way to strengthen our democracy and reduce
the influence of special interests on our elections and on government
decision-making. I believe that this reform can be undertaken in such a way
that ensures that a wide range of independent candidates feel able to run for
political office.
“I agree that there must be careful deliberation by government
on the impacts of any legislative change, and ensuring that government
undertakes this reform in a comprehensive and deliberative way is a top
priority of my caucus colleagues and myself.
“Thank you again for writing on this crucial issue. If you
have specific thoughts about how reforms might be best undertaken to address
your concerns, my office would be delighted to hear from you.”
I appreciate Dr. Weaver's thoughtfulness in dealing with this important issue, and look forward to future communication with him and his party on the subject.
