NDP Continues Backdoor Approach to Financial Disclosures

April 5, 2007

VANCOUVER - The BC NDP is continuing to take a backdoor approach to their financial disclosures by hiding behind non-accountable third parties, BC Liberal Director of Communications & Membership Services Chad Pederson said today.

"We've seen this pattern year-in and year-out from the BC NDP," said Pederson.  "They file their financial disclosures with Elections BC but they continue to advertise heavily off the books through third-parties."

Recently the Federal NDP distributed a partisan tax-payer funded direct mail pamphlet that attacks the BC Liberal government.  If paid for by the BC NDP, this highly partisan pamphlet would be publicly disclosed in the party's annual financial reports submitted to Elections BC.  Because it was distributed by the Federal NDP, no provincial disclosure is required.

"The BC NDP and Federal NDP are one and the same," said Pederson.  "They can work together on these sorts of attack ads and not a penny of it needs to be disclosed to Elections BC."

The latest flyer from the Federal NDP is just another illustration of third-party spending from the BC NDP's special interest friends.  The following are some examples of spending from third-party groups:

  • BC Federation of Labour "Count Me In" Campaign: an internal campaign "to ensure that union members understand the impact of politics in their communities and workplace."
  • BC Government Employees Union Fightback Reserve: a $2-million fund directed to various campaigns, such as the recent "Child Care-Let's Make it Happen" infomercial that ran on Global TV during primetime in February.
  • BC Teachers' Federation Public Education Defence Fund: promotes advocacy and action to inform "our members and concerned citizens about the key issues facing public education under the BC Liberal regime."
  • BC Health Coalition's "Neighbours Talking Health Care": an anti-Conversation on Health campaign that hosts forums and distributes advertising leaflets.

During the 2005 provincial election period alone, over $3.5 million was spent by friends of the NDP, a 7000% increase from 2001.

"The NDP's plan to ban corporate and union donations would still allow special interests and third-party groups to continue their partisan assaults," said Pederson.  "For the NDP to be taken seriously on this issue, they need to come clean with respect to all the support that they receive through the backdoor and off the books."