MLAs debate Bill 42: leveling the playing field, or anti-democracy?

By GERRY WARNER

Cranbrook Daily Townman

May 26, 2008

Leveling the playing field or undermining democracy?  That’s the questions being asked about Bill 42, amendments to the BC Election Act now being debated in the BC Legislature.

Not surprisingly, Bill Bennett and Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald have different views of the issue.

When the bill was first introduced in the Legislature by Attorney General Wally Opal, he said changes were timely because the BC Election Act hadn’t been significantly updated since 1995.

“These amendments modernize the Election Act by clarifying the process for voter registration, establishing a more accurate voters’ list and setting reasonable expense limits for political parties and third parties that will be clear and enforced.”

Bennett says the government is ‘simply trying to level the playing field,’ and the NDP is crying foul because the new rules will affect some of their biggest financial contributors and supporters like the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF).

The BCTF has $3 million set aside to support the NDP in the next provincial election in May and they don’t like the fact that the new legislation may upset their financial applecart, Bennett charged.

“What we’re trying to do is to make donations to political campaigns transparent, which is fair.”

Bennett said the same rules would apply to organizations like the BC Chamber of commerce, mining companies and corporations that contribute to the Liberal Party.

“I think what’s bothering the NDP is that they like to say our party depends strictly on the little guy, Mr. and Mrs. British Columbia, they give us a hundred dollars at a time and that’s the kind of political party we are.  But the reality is they get this three million dollars from the BCTF and maybe another million from the BCGEU and this money is being spent by unions on behalf of the NDP.”

All the government is trying to do is make everyone play by the same rules, which is why they apply to third-party contributors during the election and in the 12-day pre-campaign period as well, he said.

But Macdonald said the amendments to the rules will undermine democracy and dampen debate and are being brought in with the goal of making it easier for the Liberals to be re-elected.

“The real intent of this legislation is to muzzle groups that would criticize the premier and to give political advantage to the Liberals in the election.”

Macdonald said in the last provincial election some advocacy groups were very successful at criticizing the government’s programs and policies and the Campbell Liberals don’t want to see that happen again.

“I think they found in the last election there was some highly effective pieces of advertising done by groups that were upset with the government and this will eliminate that.”

Macdonald said he expects one or more of the groups affected by the legislation to challenge the government by mounting a court challenge on the issue.  In the meantime, he said he also opposes the legislation because it’s likely to be passed by using closure.

“It will be put in place by using closure and not even allow for the full range of debate and that speaks to the arrogance of this government.”

Butt Bennett said he’s heard this kind of criticism from the NDP before and it amounts to nothing more than cheap rhetoric.  The rules of the legislature are flexible and allow lots of time for the opposition to criticize but in the case of the BC NDP constructive criticism has been replaced by ideological grandstanding, he said.

“It’s a little game they play,” he said.  “Of course you invoke closure because the opposition is going to do everything it can do to put government in that position.”