WHILE the formal election campaign is yet to begin, the battle has been waged for a while.
Nowhere is that more obvious than in data recently released by Elections B.C., detailing who shelled out what in political contributions last year.
Following the money can provide a revealing glimpse into who hopes to have the attention of government come May 15.
In the case of the NDP, last year was a banner fundraising year.
Of particular note is the approximately $1 million donated to the socialist hordes by corporations. Politics can indeed make for some strange bedfellows.
Such donations are not ideological endorsements of NDP policy, of course, but rather a pragmatic attempt to ensure continued access to power, should Adrian Dix become the next premier.
For a lot of corporations, hedging their bets is simply good business.
But what's good for business - or big unions - isn't necessarily what's good for democracy.
When a group of big spenders provide a lot of cash, there can't help but be a strong suspicion of a quid pro quo. The idea of those with deep pockets paying for a desired electoral outcome - then collecting in the form of public policy - is perceived by many to be the reality in the absence of rules preventing it.
A ban on corporate and union donations and/or contribution limits makes sense and is something the NDP has supported.
If he is successful at the polls next month, one of Dix's tasks may be to cut off sources of support that got him there.
