Dan Stuart, president CHPBC
The people of BC are probably beginning to wake up to the horror we call the last election. Through a backroom deal, a party with only three elected candidates signed an agreement with a party that the majority of voters had not elected, which allowed the said parties to gain power. Then the non-elected party turned around and introduced legislation, so that the party with only three seats will get a windfall of monies from the taxpayer.
Here’s the way I see this spinning. For the Liberals, who raised $13.087 million in 2016, just 17 per cent (or $2.2 million) came from individual donations of $1,200 or under, which of course now is the legislative cap for donations. Corporate donations accounted for the bulk of the money raised, at more than 60 per cent.
For the NDP, which raised $6.17 million in 2016, 50 per cent (or $3.103 million) came from individual donations under $1,200. Nearly 30 per cent came from unions that year.
The Green party got $763,667.00. How will that look once this legislation is passed?
Well on the surface it looks pretty sweet for the NDP and Greens. Given the same donations under $1200.00, the Liberals would slip into second place with 2.2 million, The NDP would jump to first place at 3.1 million, and the Greens would be somewhere less than 350,000 dollars.
Now enter public monies. Each party with either 2% of the provincial vote or 5% of the total number of valid votes cast in all the electoral districts in which the political party endorsed candidates, will get $2.50 per vote subsidy from the public purse. The bill contains a subsidy of $2.50 per vote in 2018, which declines slightly by 2022, when it will be reviewed by an all-party legislative committee (I take that to mean all three parties; NDP, Green party and Liberal party) to determine whether it should continue.
Oh I see…and which one of the honorable members on this committee is going to stand up and say, “Oh, gee, I’m going to vote we do not get x million dollars for the next 4 years.” Not going to happen.
In the first year, the NDP and Liberals each receive $1.8 million. Over four years, the two major parties would receive $6.8 million each, and the Greens $2.8 million. Wow, that little party is climbing the ladder fast. (The rungs of this FastTrack ladder is the public purse)
Notice, this still keeps the whole scam in the NDP favour and Green leader Andrew Weaver, whose party stands to earn approximately $825,000 in public subsidies in 2018, called it a “historic day”, and pointed out …“the consultations on this bill began months ago with the NDP”. I guess he should be jumping for joy, since his party will catapult from $350,000 to over a million a year in donations and subsidies.
And the worst has yet to be told.
The bill also creates a permanent new taxpayer subsidy for political parties and candidates who receive over 10% of the vote, in the form of a 50-per-cent reimbursement for certain election campaign expenses, such as campaign offices, staff, advertising, research and signs. That subsidy would have been worth $11 million in the last election. Ahh, I wonder where that money will come from?
The Christian Heritage Party of BC objects strenuously to the funding of political parties from unwilling taxpayers. We agree with blocking union and corporate contributions, and we’re okay with a limit on individual contributions. But all parties should operate on the willing contributions of their own members and supporters.
The sad fact is that the working people of BC, who can least afford it, will have to fund this fraudulent money grab, even as the minority/coalition government kills multibillion projects that would have put people to work, and would have paid for some of the deficit they are creating. As Winston Churchill once said, “I contend that for a nation (or province) to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
It’s time to put an end to this ludicrous corruption and insane political quagmire of our ‘major political parties’ (otherwise known as the ‘old boys club’), and join CHP. Never in the history of this entire country or this province have we needed an honest, truly representative government as much as we do right now.
I suggest each and every person reading this stop now and say a prayer to the One, who alone can change the political landscape. The Lord raises governments and can bring them down again. We pray He will not allow this self-serving oligarchy to ruin this great province.
Dan Stuart,
president CHPBC
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