In September, the NDP government proudly announced that union and corporate donations to political parties were being banned.
The move was welcomed as a big step forward in B.C.’s “wild west” political culture, where disgust at attempts to buy influence had reached a tipping point. Both the Liberals and the NDP had benefited from sizable corporate and union donations in the years leading up to the move. Locally, companies including Seaspan, Woodfibre and Hollyburn Properties – along with unions like CUPE – all made big political donations.
It turns out many corporations and unions also continued to make donations after the get-tough announcement.
Between the September announcement and Nov. 30 when the law actually came into force, a fair amount of “wiggle room” existed – about $3 million worth of it. That’s the amount donated to both parties by unions and corporations in that period, with the lion’s share – just under $2.5 million – going to the NDP, including $1.44 million in corporate donations.
File it under “sins of the righteous.”
While happy to condemn the practice as bad for democracy, nobody from government got around to sending the memo saying “stop.”
It’s hard to imagine why any organization would donate at the eleventh hour unless they hoped to gain something in return. It’s also amazing that while government can bring about some changes with dramatic swiftness, the ending of political donations was not one of them. If nothing else, the final flurry of both corporate and union donations proves how much an end to this practice is needed.
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
