A Memorial University political scientist is crying foul over recent comments from Premier Andrew Furey who indicates that limits must be placed on campaign donations.
Furey was responding to reports that former PC Leader Ches Crosbie donated $300,000 of his own funds towards the party’s last election campaign.
Blidook calls the donation “odd” but says he’s less worried about the contribution made by Crosbie, than he is about the fact that no campaign donation limits appear to be in place.
He says the main concern is not that the leader would donate that level of funding, but that it appears anyone can. Blidook says the bigger issue is whether a corporation or union or some other outside interest made that kind of donation, raising questions about whether the party would be beholden to that entity to make decisions or policy changes in their favour. “What all this shows,” says Blidook, “is that someone could come along and do that.”
Blidook says the provincial government had vowed to address electoral reform but has yet to deliver on the commitments made years ago.
He pulled no punches, calling out commitments made back in 2015 in the last year of a Liberal majority government when a committee was struck to address electoral reform but “we saw afterwards that it was just cynical garbage.”
Justice Minister John Hogan says the All-Party Committee reviewing the province’s Elections Act is planning public consultations as it continues to move forward with its work.
Hogan was responding to media questions related to electoral reform and elections financing.
Hogan says financing rules and guidelines are contained within the Elections Act, all of which, he says is under review.
He’s sure that will be something up for discussion, whether there should be donation limits and if so, what those limits should be.
PC Leader David Brazil says members of his party are part of the review committe and says it’s something they’re considering.
“We’ll look at what other jurisdictions are doing,” says Brazil “and being cognizant of the fact that political parties do have to function in an operational manner.”
