The B.C. NDP announced this week yet another consultation – this time regarding at-risk species.
The governing party seems to be trying to set a record for the most consultations/reviews a provincial government has ever held before introducing legislation.
Some might consider it paralysis by analysis, but we do appreciate the goal of gathering input to get things right. It’s just that while the party boasts about how much due diligence it’s doing, there’s one key piece of legislation that it clearly botched.
The B.C. NDP’s municipal campaign finance laws passed in October 2017 – while sorely needed to end the province’s Wild West reputation – have more holes than a kitchen colander.
It didn’t take long for politicians to find ways to exploit them, as the Non-Partisan Association in Vancouver discovered it could accept unlimited corporate and union donations, as long as the money went into administration instead of campaigning expenses. The problem is the difference between the two is often difficult to determine.
The minister in charge of the file, Selina Robinson, has now announced the loophole will be closed, which is good, but it’s embarrassing the government didn’t anticipate it when it was drafting the legislation. Perhaps more consultation would have helped.
Robinson also wagged her finger of disapproval at those who would “exploit” the loophole, which is laughable and disingenuous considering the B.C. NDP delayed banning big money in provincial campaigns just long enough so it could go on a fundraising spree that raised a reported $4.5 million before turning off the tap.
And while one loophole is supposedly being closed, municipal politicians are alleging others still exist in the current legislation.
One example involves how much money third parties – such as businesses, individuals and advocacy groups – can raise and spend during a campaign, as well as during non-election years.
The B.C. NDP deserve credit for finally implementing new rules after years of inaction by the B.C. Liberals, but let’s continue to tighten them up and get this stuff right.
The only Wild West voters should be seeing is on Westworld.
