Municipal Election Financing Reform in Vancouver

There are those out there who think that election campaign financing in Vancouver needs to be changed.  I am particularly concerned by the suggestion that corporations should not be allowed to make any donations whatsoever. What a sorry state our election campaigns would be in if this were the case. Worse still, it would be eminently unfair (maybe even discriminatory, since corporations are legal entities, just like people) to corporations to not allow them to participate at all in politics.

Corporations already contribute far more to election campaigns than ordinary citizens – and they aren’t even allowed to vote. Millions of dollars were spent in the 2008 election, and the spending is likely to be higher in 2011. The biggest individual donors by far are corporations and owners of major corporations. And don’t suggest that they are trying to buy favours - many donate multiple parties in the same city, so clearly they are just trying to make sure the election runs as smoothly as possible, with no ulterior motives. 

Some people tell me that maybe we don’t need so much money involved in politics. Rubbish. Without political advertising, how will we know who to vote for? For instance, without hearing our Mayor on his radio ads talking about Tony Tang, how would I have known that I should vote for him? How else would I have known that Tony Tang is a businessman, just like Gregor, for whom fiscal responsibility is important? Without donations to pay for all the lawn signs, how would we know who our neighbours are voting for and how photogenic our potential elected representatives are? These are critical issues and the health our democracy depends on them.

How would you feel, if you weren’t allowed to vote? You would probably want to participate in the formation of government in some way, right? Corporations are doing the exact same thing. They just want to be a part of it. Corporate donations to political parties is a critical piece of the election process, and without it, most of us wouldn’t know who to vote for. Join me in opposing campaign financing reform, to make sure corporations have their voices heard.