It would be a good move if Premier Elect Stelmach required all candidates who want to be in Cabinet to disclose there leadership contributor lists as a precondition for any Cabinet appointment. Since every leadership candidate EXCEPT for Professor Morton undertook to disclose their contributor list; it should not be a burden. Inquiring minds want to know and I bet Premier Stelmach feels he needs to know too.
The public expects open, transparent and accountable government – particularly at the cabinet level. Those principles demand that Albertans know who was behind the leadership candidates, at least those candidates who wish to be in Cabinet – BEFORE they are appointed.
If Professor Morton believes he deserves a Cabinet spot, he should satisfy the test of openness and transparency that full and timely disclosure of his campaign contributors would provide.
We can expect anonymous donors to be respected but we need to know how many there were and the amounts they each contributed, not be all lumped together as a single group. Too many and too much money in that anonymous category will cause concern. We need to know who is behind the scenes and may be trying to influence any leadership candidate cum Cabinet Minister in the future.
If we are going to have a Lobbyist and Contractor Registry, and we should, we should also know who the leadership candidate contributors were too.
Time for Professor Morton to change his mind and disclose his campaign contributors, and if not, he ought to forfeit any aspirations to a Cabinet appointment.
This makes no sense whatsoever. So, for example, I donate to Morton under the existing rules that my name would not be disclosed. Maybe I don't want to be known because of my current occupation or position. Or maybe I just want my privacy. Now, the party should change the rules after the fact? I guarantee if the PC party does this, there will be substantial lawsuits. People donated on the agreement that the donations would remain anonymous.
ReplyDeleteI would be okay with the number and amounts of the donators being given. But to say he should disclose who actually donated would be breaching a contractual promise.
As well, even Stelmach has not disclosed his backers yet - let's wait for that - it might not even occur by Dec 15th - AND he is our Premier!
Oh Ken, Morton is getting a senior cabinet position no matter what and you know it.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteDo you know if/where we can see the lists of publicly disclosed donors? I can't find them anywhere online.
Your privacy isn't the issue Eric. The issue, as Stephen Harper put it on the Mercer Report, is how much a politician should be able to take from you. Not how much you should be able to take. Following this fine logic, another question is whether a politician should be able to take money from anonymous donors. The answer to that question is no. They shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteap, privacy is indeed an issue. What if a person thought he would be prosecuted or 'not given that promotion' once it became public who he donated to? Donations are a way to exercise one's freedom of expression in politics. Would you want your employer to know you donated to the Communist Party of Canada? Not sure, but some people would care about this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there should be some arbitrary cut off - maybe Ken is indirectly suggesting this. For example, all of those donations over $10K must disclose details. These are really the only donors that could influence.
I understand your point Eric but with all due respect Alberta is a democracy. You can't be prosecuted nor fired for making a political donation. If you are fired for making a political donation then call a lawyer and sue the person. They can't fire you on those grounds. People have to stop fearing the consequences for expressing their political views in this province. There shouldn't be any.
ReplyDeleteThere shouldn't be any but they ARE. Try working in a federal or provincial government position. Obviously you will not be fired, but you won't be getting that promotion anytime soon (and you can't sue anybody for that).
ReplyDeleteTaking away my freedom of expression, which is essential for democracy, in the sake of democracy doesn't make much sense.
This is also getting away from Ken's point. He wants to change the rules after the matter. If someone knew that disclosure would have occured, he or she could have acted accordingly and not donated. Ken's suggestion to retroactively change the rules is fundamentally unfair and he knows it. He's simply trying to make an argument for Morton not to be in cabinet - these type of tactics won't work as Ed will see right through it.
Eric - you are right the rules of leadership campaign disclosure need to be changed. I am not suggesting here that they be "changed after the fact." That would be a PC Party matter and not what I am suggesting.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the PC Party made a mistake in not requiring campaign contribution disclosure at the Party level does not mean that mistake should not be corrected for next time.
Even with disclosures, I expect that anonymous donors wishes should be honoured in each and every case. If you contributed to any leaderhip campaign on condition of anonymity that should be respected. Your confidentiality will be maintainted.
However, being a leadership candidate in a political party is one thing, being a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Alberta is something entirely difference. A higher standard of openness, accountability and transparency is required.
We are talking about open and transparent government here and the need to regain the trust and respect of citizens for how they are governed. Such disclosure is vital information citizens need to have to assess if trust and respect is to be afforded a potential appointee to Cabinet.
We saw the Auditor General release a report on unauthorized campaign contributions from Metis Settlements to a candidate in the 2004 election in the middle of this campaign, who happened to be a Cabinet Minister as well. The issue is real.
That kind of scrutiny is apparently necessary but it obviously requires access to facts before it can be effective.
If "Candidate Morton" wishes to change his status to the "The Honourable Morton," he, and any other person in this position, need to meet a higher standard of disclosure than was required by the PC Party.
Professor Morton singled out himself on this issue, not me. This is because he is the only leadership candidate who refused to disclose his contributors. Ought we to be suspicious and concerned as to why?
If he wants to be in the Executive Branch of the Alberta Government, he better get used to the higher standards that will be required of him sooner than later.
well, what if we were to find that Morton's big backers were American Neocons? His campaign opener was in an exporter to U.S. embassies (Gunnar) business, for instance. as they say, follow the money. wouldn't it be better if we had canada be destroyed with a bang and not a cheque?
ReplyDelete