Editor:
I didn’t think my cynicism about mainstream political parties could sink lower, but the revelations about vested-interest donations to the Liberals and the NDP have set a new low-water mark. Through their “envelope” campaigns and targeted corporate and union “strongarm” strategies to extract millions of dollars, these parties are making a sham of the notion of fair play – a foundation of our democracy.
The breadcrumb trail leads to party leadership that sees such donations – tantamount to a massive middle-finger wag at B.C. citizens – as a sound fundraising strategy while the rest of Canada, and almost every other democratic jurisdiction in the free world, have made this illegal. As one pundit wrote in the Globe and Mail, there are a number of tin-pot dictatorships that don’t stoop this low.
If you want corporate-and-union cronyism and backroom dealing to continue to have undue influence in B.C., then by all means continue to vote for the Liberals or NDP in May. But if you are in favour of a political system that is not tied to secret-sauce campaigning, then your choice is clear – the Green Party, the only party that has rejected such donations.
Michael Maser, Gibsons
