The government has not taken the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of their previous election financing laws with the introduction of Bill 23, according to the Alberta Party Caucus. MLA Karen McPherson, Municipal Affairs critic, gave the following remarks laying out some of the problems with this ill-conceived piece of legislation.

“When we were discussing provincial campaign finance laws previously, so many members of this house pointed out to the NDP that they were simply pushing campaign financing into the shadows.”

“With the number of political action committees on the rise, and the size of donations they are collecting, I think it’s safe to say that the NDP have done everything but take big money out of politics.”

MLA McPherson pointed out that bringing these contribution rules to municipal politics risks destroying the non-partisan nature of council politics.

“Municipal governments work best when councillors work directly for the people they represent. With these rule changes we could see wealthy third-party advertisers support candidates who will advance their agenda.”

“Alberta does not need to see PAC-approved slates begin to dominate city politics.”

The Alberta Party Caucus is also concerned that these rules will discourage marginalized communities from running by making it harder for them to raise money, and increase the advantage that incumbents hold.