Whereas there are currently no limits on election campaign donations or restrictions on corporate or union donations for local government elections; And whereas all major political parties have committed to enacting some form of electoral finance reform for provincial elections in the coming term: Therefore be it resolved that as the provincial government makes changes to provincial campaign finance regulations to limit and restrict campaign donations, the Province also implement reforms to campaign finance regulations for local government, in consultation with UBCM.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Our government believes people should be at the heart of our politics not just those with deep pockets. Government heard from the public and local governments who share our goal of successful and fair election campaigns that arent influenced by big money. We listened to leaders from communities throughout BC who asked that we level the playing field for local candidates throughout the province. That is why our government took action to level the playing field in time for the 2018 general local elections by introducing the Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act Bill 17 in Fall 2017. On November 23, 2017, the Legislative Assembly passed the Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act, 2017 Bill 15, which bans contributions from organizations in local elections and implements campaign contribution limits for candidates and elector organizations. Bill 15 contains campaign financing reforms that are consistent with the intent of the provincial campaign financing reforms announced as part of the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Green Party. These amendments reflect interests articulated through UBCM resolutions in favor of banning union and corporate contributions and establishing contribution limits, and also reflect interests articulated by the public and media. Bill 15 contains key, targeted, reforms that will be in place for the 2018 general local elections these elections will also be the first time that expense limits will apply. In developing the legislation, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing consulted with the UBCM Presidents Committee; staff-level consultations between the Ministry and UBCM were also conducted. Staff-level consultations were also conducted by Ministry staff with the City of Vancouver, which has a robust culture of elector organizations, and which has consistently advocated for restricting the source of campaign contributions and implementing campaign contribution limits. The legislation also includes flexibility to allow contribution limits to be set by regulation in future local elections based on the experience of the 2018 general local elections. This includes flexibility to set contribution limits based on population. If, after observing the 2018 general local elections, it is determined that a different contribution limit is needed, changes could be made to the contribution limit, in consultation with UBCM.