BC Liberals greed for power

[GrooveTunes]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/donor-lists-reveal-bc-liberals-greed-for-power/article29535533/

[Smurf]

Absolutely disgusting show by our government.

[flamingfingers]

Mason's last paragraph reflects what I feel:

There is truly something disgraceful in the government’s position on this issue. But the Liberals are not prepared to do anything that compromises the electoral advantage they hold, no matter how unseemly their greed for power appears.

[flamingfingers]

Arrogant, greedy, corrupt!!!

[dieseluphammerdown]

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[Hassel99]

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[flamingfingers]

It will be interesting to see how this is presented on Global News tonight (or even mentioned!)....

[Rwede]

It will be interesting to see how this is presented on Global News tonight (or even mentioned!)....

Nobody will care. People are immune to it by now.

*removed*

[flamingfingers]

A LOT of people care and are insulted a the cavalier approach the premier exhibits towards the issue. It's not really difficult for the average voter in BC to notice the connection between 'money' and 'power' and favoritism.

We need to import some backbone from the Icelanders who outsted their Prime Minister after the Panama Papers were leaked. Took them all of 2 days!!!!

[maryjane48]

exactkly if your not against corruption your for it . cut and dry

[flamingfingers]

It is time to get big money out of B.C. politics

$20,000-a-plate fundraisers are not "just how politics work" as other provinces show.
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By: Kate Webb Columnist Published on Mon Apr 04 2016
I’ll admit it. The first time I read about Christy Clark’s $20,000-a-plate fundraisers, in which donors pay for access to B.C.’s most powerful politician, I shrugged and thought, “What else is new? Isn’t that just how politics works? How else would parties raise enough money to win an election?”
But it’s not “just how politics works,” and there are other models, and my initial apathy is indicative of how normalized B.C.’s culture of corruption has become. As I learned after some digging, most of the provinces in Canada, as well as the federal government, have banned these types of payments for access, because they create clear conflicts of interest.

Democracy Watch, a non-partisan advocacy group, issued a press release last Thursday calling these private fundraisers attended by B.C. politicians “a clear violation of conflict-of-interest laws that prohibit politicians across Canada from accepting gifts connected with their positions.” The group is urging B.C. to adopt Quebec’s model, which limits individual donations to $100 a year plus another $100 in election years, and bans union and corporate donations.

Joining them in the call for reform is environmental non-profit the Dogwood Initiative, which launched its own campaign in Victoria on Monday to "get big money out of politics." The move came after Dogwood’s leaders learned though a survey that its members consider the issue their second biggest concern, after climate change.

A Vancouver Sun analysis found that, between 2005 and 2012, the Liberals raised $76 million, 61 per cent of which was from large corporations — and only a tiny sliver from unions. In that same timeframe the NDP raised $40 million — 23 per cent of which came from unions, and very little of which came from corporations. (Of note, the NDP’s single largest source of income — 70 per cent — was from individuals, while only 28 per cent of Liberal funds came from individuals.)

Some would say fair enough. But the idealist in me thinks the symbolic value of sacrificing cash in the name of integrity could send a powerful signal to voters — the kind that money can’t buy.

But, hey, what do I know? A week ago I didn’t even know that what passes for normal in this province is illegal in most others.

http://www.metronews.ca/views/vancouver ... itics.html

[Rwede]

A LOT of people care and are insulted a the cavalier approach the premier exhibits towards the issue. It's not really difficult for the average voter in BC to notice the connection between 'money' and 'power' and favoritism.

We need to import some backbone from the Icelanders who outsted their Prime Minister after the Panama Papers were leaked. Took them all of 2 days!!!!

If by "A LOT of people" you mean the NDP supporters that can't figure out what the rest of the voters concern themselves with, then yes, I agree with you, there are a lot that care.

But, as I keep saying, the NDP is going to have to focus on issues that matter to people outside their core supporters if they ever want to be in power again.

Most people don't care about donations to Christy, most don't care about her cavalier attitude on the subject, and so she keeps getting enough support to win elections.

Take this as I'm not disagreeing with you...take it as an explanation why wasting time and energy on it won't help oust her.

There was no one more angry than I when the guide outfitters donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the ChristyLiberals and then got the most generous wildlife allocations in North America. But I learned that it didn't really matter to most people that people can seemingly buy influence with political donations.

[rustled]

There was no one more angry than I when the guide outfitters donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the ChristyLiberals and then got the most generous wildlife allocations in North America. But I learned that it didn't really matter to most people that people can seemingly buy influence with political donations.

...The outfitters association made $17,500 in B.C. Liberal party, candidate and leadership contestant donations in 2013, compared with $4,525 to the NDP. ...

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news ... -1.1755170

I'm open to seeing sources that back up what you posted, but I tend to think it costs a bit more to buy the government. It's conceivable to me (although I understand not everyone will agree) that they took more into consideration than the donations received, and/or their popularity with people who would disagree with the decision.

The system needs a clean-up, but let's all maintain a bit of perspective. Emotional arguments and political spin don't help.

[Smurf]

What I get a laugh out of is the people on here who regularly complain about corruption in Quebec and then condone it here in BC. There is no difference between a union trying to buy political favours and a company doing it. I give Horgan full credit for trying to change this mess for the better. Maybe we could continue to allow donations from companies and unions but put them all into one account and then split them amongst all the political parties. Someone holds a $20,000.00 a plate fundraiser and the money is split up. Not as good as getting rid of it altogether but possibly better than now.

[Urbane]

What I get a laugh out of is the people on here who regularly complain about corruption in Quebec and then condone it here in BC. There is no difference between a union trying to buy political favours and a company doing it. I give Horgan full credit for trying to change this mess for the better. Maybe we could continue to allow donations from companies and unions but put them all into one account and then split them amongst all the political parties. Someone holds a $20,000.00 a plate fundraiser and the money is split up. Not as good as getting rid of it altogether but possibly better than now.

I don't think this issue has much resonance with the public at least so far. When I emailed to question the bus pass issue I got back a very good response within a day. That tells me that the premier's office was ready to answer lots of emails on the same subject. I emailed the premier days ago about this issue and haven't heard a thing. Have you?

As for giving Horgan full credit I wonder if his opinion would be the same if he were the one raking in most of the money. It's to his political advantage to cut out corporate/union donations because the Liberals are getting more money than the NDP is. Also, he did mislead the media about his Ontario fundraiser. Not good.