The Saskatchewan Party has recently come under fire from the Opposition NDP for accepting donations from out-of-province companies. According to a new poll from Mainstreet, most people in Saskatchewan agree with the NDP’s criticism.
In a phone survey of nearly 1,700 people, 69 per cent of respondents said that out of province companies should not be allowed to help fund our political parties.
READ MORE: ‘It’s the Wild West’: Opposition calls for Sask. campaign finance reform
Saskatchewan Party financial documents show they received roughly $2 million in donations from Alberta-based companies like PCL Construction and Crescent Point over the past decade.
Earlier this week, Premier Brad Wall said there are no plans to change Saskatchewan’s campaign finance rules because he didn’t detect an appetite for it on the campaign trail.
He’s defended the donations, saying companies that invest in Saskatchewan deserve an opportunity to participate in our democracy.
The documents also show charities, like The Children’s Wish Foundation have donated to the Saskatchewan Party. Post-secondary institutions, including the University of Regina, the Univeristy of Saskatchewan, and First Nations University of Canada, are also listed as donors.
Mainstreet’s poll found 81 per cent of respondents said government-funded organizations shouldn’t be allowed to donate money to political parties either.
Forty-five per cent of the poll’s respondents said they are Sask Party supporters.
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