BC LIBERALS NOW LAST HOLDOUT ON FREEING BC POLITICS FROM BIG MONEY INTERESTS
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April 14, 2005
For Immediate Release
BC LIBERALS NOW LAST HOLDOUT ON FREEING BC POLITICS FROM BIG MONEY INTERESTS
(Victoria, BC) With the release of the platforms of the BC Green and NDP parties yesterday, the BC Liberals are now the only one of the four main parties - including Democratic Reform BC - competing in the May 17 election with no position on getting big money out of BC politics.
"Today we are calling on the BC Liberals to join the emerging political consensus on getting big money out of BC politics," said Matt Price, Coordinator of the Conservation Voters of BC. "The other three parties now all have clear positions on banning corporate and union donations, as has been done in Quebec and Manitoba."
Conservation Voters of BC recently released a report called Democracy for Sale? that shows BC and Alberta have the weakest laws in Canada controlling the influence of big money in financing political parties and advertising.
"To be fair, a ban on corporate and union donations must be complemented with caps on third-party election spending like those that exist on the federal level," said Price.
At present, corporations and unions are free to spend as much as they like on advertising to influence election outcomes, a practice that the BC Liberals point to as a reason to maintain their corporate donations, since unions are spending on third-party ads in BC.
"If one person, one vote is the basis of our democracy, then it's past time to end the buying of influence by non-voters in BC," said Price.
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For more information call Matt Price at 250-661-2965
To view the report Democracy for Sale? visit here
For Immediate Release
BC LIBERALS NOW LAST HOLDOUT ON FREEING BC POLITICS FROM BIG MONEY INTERESTS
(Victoria, BC) With the release of the platforms of the BC Green and NDP parties yesterday, the BC Liberals are now the only one of the four main parties - including Democratic Reform BC - competing in the May 17 election with no position on getting big money out of BC politics.
"Today we are calling on the BC Liberals to join the emerging political consensus on getting big money out of BC politics," said Matt Price, Coordinator of the Conservation Voters of BC. "The other three parties now all have clear positions on banning corporate and union donations, as has been done in Quebec and Manitoba."
Conservation Voters of BC recently released a report called Democracy for Sale? that shows BC and Alberta have the weakest laws in Canada controlling the influence of big money in financing political parties and advertising.
"To be fair, a ban on corporate and union donations must be complemented with caps on third-party election spending like those that exist on the federal level," said Price.
At present, corporations and unions are free to spend as much as they like on advertising to influence election outcomes, a practice that the BC Liberals point to as a reason to maintain their corporate donations, since unions are spending on third-party ads in BC.
"If one person, one vote is the basis of our democracy, then it's past time to end the buying of influence by non-voters in BC," said Price.
- 30 -
For more information call Matt Price at 250-661-2965
To view the report Democracy for Sale? visit here