Last week's disclosure by Chief Electoral Officer Brian Fjeldheim of the results of an investigation under the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act is a step in the right direction but it appears to have done little to put the issue of inappropriate political donations to rest.
The PC Party itself continues to toy with Alberta's public trust in this issue suggesting that while no political party should ever accept a donation from a prohibited organization, how the heck is it supposed to know that an individual donor might in fact turn around and seek reimbursement from a prohibited organization? For example, a municipal employee buys a ticket to a premier's dinner only to improperly seek reimbursement from his employer, the municipality, for his ticket price.
“The PCAA continues to have discussions with Elections Alberta on our desire to seek clarification around the rules on individual donors,” PC Association of Alberta president Jim McCormick said in a statement Friday. “These donors made a legal donation to us, but subsequently sought and received reimbursement from prohibited organizations. Our position is that no political party can monitor or control how a legal donation is dealt with after the fact.”
Good point. However, wouldn't it now be in everyone's best interests, particularly the PCs, to apologize, give the money back and get on with running the province? Seriously, why do the PCs make it so easy for the opposition Wildrose to keep this issue on the table?
You can bet the Wildrose isn't about to put this issue to bed any time soon with MLA Shayne Saskiw declaring “the Chief Electoral Officer has done a good job investigating the PCs' illegal fundraising activities, but it's not enough to simply reveal them. If the Act has been breached, charges must be laid.” Saskiw said. “The only thing a bully understands is retribution. The PCs need to be held accountable under the laws they have broken by accepting public tax dollars as political contributions.”
Ever since this illegal donation controversy came to light prior to the last provincial election, municipal officials have defended their actions of using taxpayer dollars to buy tickets to premier's dinners or golf tournaments because it afforded them the opportunity to connect directly with their provincial counterparts at these functions and lobby for their municipalities. Quite frankly, it's a reasonably understandable excuse but clearly not an appropriate action under the law.
It's long been recognized in the corporate world that a lot of business can actually get done on the golf course. Be that as it may, going forward it is abundantly clear that municipal leaders must make every effort not to get caught up in the world of cronyism that has been cultured by the PC Party. Like all Albertans, they have a responsibility to hold their provincial government to a higher level of integrity.
