Replacing corporate and union donations with a multi-million-dollar public subsidy over the next five years wasn鈥檛 the B.C. Green Party鈥檚 idea, leader Andrew Weaver says.
The Greens would benefit to the tune of $830,000 in 2018, while the B.C. Liberals and NDP would each reap about $1.9 million next year, under a plan to pay qualified parties $2.50 per vote. Attorney General David Eby describes the money as a 鈥渢ransition allowance鈥� to help established parties wean themselves off big donations that have been a feature of B.C. politics for years.
Weaver said Tuesday he supports the transition fund, but it wasn鈥檛 his idea. He added that he wasn鈥檛 aware that Premier John Horgan had explicitly promised during the last election campaign to get 鈥渂ig money鈥� out of politics and not replace it with public money.
We support public funds to transition parties but it wasn't our idea says
鈥� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
After a question period in the B.C. legislature in which Horgan faced demands to explain his change of position, he told reporters the policy was developed in consultation with the B.C. Greens.
鈥淯pon forming a government, admittedly a minority government, we did a review of other jurisdictions in Canada,鈥� Horgan said. 鈥淲e rejected pure public financing as is done in Ontario, as is done in Quebec, and instead put in place a transition fund that will disappear at the end of this parliament.鈥�
. says he's "unapologetic" about taxpayer money going to parties
鈥� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
Horgan called the transition allowance a 鈥渕odest cost to taxpayers.鈥� It would transfer a total of more than $16 million to the three qualifying parties that are represented in the legislature over the next five years, and could be extended if an all-party committee decides the parties still need it.
In question period, B.C. Liberal house leader Mike de Jong read several media interview quotes back to Horgan in which he stated before the 2017 election that he had no intention of replacing union and corporate donations with a public subsidy.
鈥淚f anyone thinks that after five years, the NDP and the Green Party are going to turn off the tap on public funding of political parties, I鈥檝e got a bridge in Richmond that I鈥檇 like to sell them,鈥� de Jong said.
