On February 14, a by-election will be held for Kelowna West electoral district seat of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

The seat has remained vacant since August 4 of last year when MLA Christy Clark resigned to leave politics after leading the British Columbia Liberal Party from 2011 to 2017.

Premier John Horgan announced the date for the special election on January 17.

On October 30, a bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia banning corporate and union political contributions for local elections in the Canadian province. Bill 15, Local Elections Campaign Financing Amendment Act, 2017, was introduced by Municipal Affairs Minister Selina Robinson.

Among other related changes, the legislation also caps contributions from individual donors to $1,200 for the 2018 elections with contribution limits then indexed for inflation in sequent election years. If passed, the law would be in effect for British Columbia’s October 28, 2018, municipal elections and would be retroactive to October 31, 2017.

Cabinet Ministers and other public officer holders in British Columbia will be prohibited from lobbying the government of British Columbia for two years after leaving office under a bill proposed in the legislature this week. Attorney-General David Eby, who announced the legislation, said the legislation is intended to “restore public confidence,” according to The Globe and Mail.

The prohibition in the bill applies to former public office holders, which the legislation defines as a former member of the Executive Council and any individual formerly employed in the former member’s former office, other than administrative support staff, or a former parliamentary secretary.

Those listed in the definition also includes any individual who formerly occupied either a senior executive position in a ministry, the position of associate deputy minister, assistant deputy minister or a position of comparable rank in a ministry, or a prescribed position in a Provincial entity.

On September 18, British Columbia’s Attorney General David Eby submitted a new campaign bill in the Legislative Assembly that would prohibit corporation and union contributions and limit contributions from individuals to $1,200 a year.

The Election Amendment Act, 2017, would also ban out-of-province donations, place a cap on contributions to third-party election advertisers, reduce campaign spending limits for candidates and political parties, provide some public funding for political parties, create new fines and penalties, and require public reporting and set donation limits for specified fundraising functions.

The bill defines “specified fundraising function” to mean a fundraising function attended by a member of the Executive Council, a parliamentary secretary, or a leader of a major political party, and that is held to raise funds for a major political party, a candidate who is a representative of a major political party, a leadership contestant for a major political party, or a constituency association that is the local organization for a major political party.

On June 22, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia will resume following an election without any clear mandate for the direction of the government.

The provincial election held last month produced no party winning with a majority in the 87-seat Assembly. A proclamation calling for the convening of the Assembly was confirmed by Judith Guichon, the 29th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the representative of the Crown in the province, and was released on June 12.

A speech from the Throne is expected in the afternoon of the 22nd.

On February 21, Vancouver, British Columbia, City Councilmember Andrea Reimer intends to request the Council consider a city lobbyist registry.

In her notice of motion to the Council, Reimer is asking the municipal legislature to submit a request to the province to allow municipalities the ability to register lobbyists, create rules for lobbyist’s conduct in their interactions with elected officials and public servants, and the ability to enforce those rules. Reimer also wants the city to investigate the city of Surrey’s current lobbyist registry to determine the cost impact and any other information Vancouver may find helpful.

British Columbia does not permit municipalities to use the provincial lobbyist registry and has not given municipalities the legal authority to enforce lobbyist rules.

On February 16, several campaign finance bills were introduced in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

Introduced as a private member’s bill by British Columbia’s New Democratic Party Leader John Horgan, the “Get Big Money Out of Politics Act” legislation bans union and corporate donations to political campaigns, allows only individuals normally residing in British Columbia to make political contributions, and restricts the premier and cabinet ministers from outside income.

Member of the Legislative Assembly Vicki Huntington’s bill, “Cash for Access Elimination Act, 2017,” prohibits members of the Executive Council and their employees from attending fundraising functions, personally soliciting political contributions, or attending or inviting individuals and organizations to attend fundraising functions. Huntington also submitted to the Assembly the “Election Finance Amendment Act, 2017,” which bans corporate and union donations, caps political donations at $1,500 a year, and allows them to be received only from British Columbians. The Local Elections Campaign Financing Act is also amended by this bill.

Additional bills introduced yesterday include the “Banning Publicly-funded Campaign Advertisements, 2017,” which bans government advertising during the four months preceding a general election, the “Fairness in Financing Local Government Elections Act, 2017,” which amends the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act to eliminate union and corporate donations in municipal election campaigns, and the “Fixed Fall Election Amendment Act, 2017,” which amends the Constitution Act to move the general election from May to October.

On February 16, the “Lobbyist Registry Reform Act, 2017,” was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

The bill restricts publicly funded organizations from pursuing lobbying activities, legislates a cooling off period of two years for public office holders and their staff and advisors, and calls for a review of the lobbying act every five years.

The legislation is a part of a package of campaign finance and ethics bills introduced by the New Democratic Party.

The provincial government cancelled the fall 2016 legislative session on the day it was scheduled to begin. Another session is not intended until February ahead of the May 9, 2017,  general election.

The Official Opposition is calling for the Legislature to meet in October to introduce the 2017 provincial budget and to address funding to remedy the current housing crisis and loopholes in the province’s rent control laws.

This is the third time in five years the fall session has been cancelled.

Photo of the main block of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings by Ryan Bushby on Wikimedia Commons.

On May 19, the fifth session of the 40th parliament of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia adjourned. The Local Elections Campaign Financing (Election Expenses) Amendment Act, 2016, also received royal assent on May 19. Member Bills 213, 219, and 229, which also dealt with campaign finance, did not progress pass the first reading stage.

The Legislature is scheduled to convene again this year on October 3.

On November 27, the third session of the 40th parliament of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly adjourned for the year. The Legislature did not pass Bill M202, the Election Finance Amendment Act. It would have restricted political contributions to donations made by individual residents of the province and eliminated corporate, union, and out-of-province donations.

Photo of the main block of the British Columbia Parliament Buildings by Ryan Bushby on Wikimedia Commons.

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia resumes today at noon for the prorogation of the second session of the 40th Parliament. The third session of the 40th Parliament will then open at 1:30 p.m. The third session is scheduled to adjourn on November 27, 2014.

Photo of the British Columbia Legislature Building by Ryan Bushby on Wikimedia Commons.

On May 29, the second session of the 40th parliament of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia adjourned for the summer. It is scheduled to reconvene on October 6, 2014, and to adjourn on November 27, 2014.

Two campaign finance bills affecting local elections in the province were passed during the session. Bill No. 20, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, and Bill No. 21, Local Elections Statutes Amendment Act, 2014 require, among other changes, third party advertising sponsors to register with Elections B.C., report expenditures and contributions of $50 or more, and clearly identify themselves in any election advertisement. Both bills received royal assent on May 29.

Two campaign finance bills affecting local elections in British Columbia were passed last week by the Legislative Assembly.

On May 1, Bill No. 20, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, and Bill No. 21, Local Elections Statutes Amendment Act, 2014, were passed after the third readings. The new laws will require, among other changes, third party advertising sponsors to register with Election B.C., report expenditures and contributions of $50 or more, and clearly identify themselves in any election advertisement.

The legislation will become effective after royal assent.

Photo of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly building courtesy of KirinX on Wikimedia Commons.