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Yesterday, our local democracy became far less fair & transparent with the passing of Bill 45. I know we are focused on the pandemic, but this bill ensures that ‘dark money’ will poison our municipal elections next year. #yegcc #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yegvote #yeg #yyc
Equally as disturbing is how much it goes against what Albertans said in the public survey back in February. Albertans overwhelmingly said they wanted strict limits for PACs (third-party advertisers) & yet we were ignored for no valid reason. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yegvote
The removal of corporate/union donations was supposed to be a huge win for the 2021 election but that work is undone by allowing those entities to donate to PACs at much higher limits than what can be donated by individuals to each candidate. #yegcc #ableg #abpoli #yyccc #yegvote
I’m angry that Albertans were clearly ignored. They didn’t want PACs to have heavy influence in local elections and yet, Bill 45 will allow them to have a huge influence on our elections without any meaningful transparency. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yegvote #yeg #yyc
PACs can raise up to $350,000 without disclosing who donated. That’s unacceptable. All candidates have to disclose who donated but for some reason it’s not expected of organizations that can spend far more money during an election. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yeg #yyc #yegvote
So what do we do? We demand transparency from each PAC & candidate. Demand that candidates refuse support (financial, advertising, or otherwise) from any PAC. If they are unwilling to refuse that support, you should be asking why. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yegvote
It’s possible a candidate who refuses support of a PAC may still receive support from a PAC. Therefore, it’s critical we demand PACs disclose their donors at least a few weeks before the election. We have to force that ‘dark money’ into the light. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc
If PACs choose not to be transparent with Albertans, ensure all voters know that. Tell everyone you know that special interests are trying to influence our local elections in a way that we have not seen in decades. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc #yegvote #yeg #yyc
Our local democracy may have taken a big hit yesterday but don’t forget that we still hold the power. While the provincial government might not care what Albertans had to say about our local elections, we can ensure our voices are heard next year. #ableg #abpoli #yegcc #yyccc
