Whereas the newly elected NDP government in Alberta has introduced legislation to prohibit political campaign contributions from corporate and union sources: Therefore be it resolved that the Government of BC prohibit political campaign contributions from corporate and union sources at the provincial and local government level in the province of BC; And be it further resolved that limits be placed on the size of individual candidates contributions and contributions to campaigns.
Ministry of Community, Sport Cultural Development In 2014 the Province enacted the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act LECFA. This legislation is still relatively new and therefore is continually being monitored for any areas of improvement. LECFA was introduced to increase local elections campaign financing and election advertising accountability, transparency, compliance and enforcement. The Ministry has introduced expense limits legislation through the tabling of Bill 17: Local Elections Campaign Financing Election Expenses Amendment Act, 2016 on February 25, 2016. The issue of campaign contribution limits has been brought to the attention of the Province in the past and was reviewed by the Local Government Elections Task Force in 2010. The Task Force did not recommend establishing general limits on contribution amounts or sources. The Task Forces view was that political contributions are a way for people to participate in the democratic process; further, they allow participation by those who may not be eligible to vote but are affected by local government decisions. The candidate is ultimately responsible and accountable to the public for the donations they accept and who those donations are from. Additionally, campaign finance disclosure requirements ensure that the public knows who made donations to candidates and the size of the donation. The Province is continuing to make amendments and improvements to LECFA in anticipation of the next local election in 2018. The Province is not considering the addition of campaign contribution limits at this time.