Clark wants all-party input on finance panel

VICTORIA – Premier Christy Clark says she wants to see a panel created that would review political financing in British Columbia with a mandate to recommend changes to the legislature.

She says the panel would have a wide-open mandate on the recommendations it could make, but the B.C. Liberals would not support taxpayers funding political parties.

READ MORE: B.C. Liberals to address political party fundraising controversy with new legislation

Clark says the panel could explore bans on corporate and union donations to political parties and she’s open to caps on donation limits, but she draws the line at taking money from taxpayers.

After the 2015 federal election campaign, she says $100 million of taxpayers money went to reimburse federal parties, which received money based on the number of votes they received.

In B.C., the Opposition New Democrats have bills before the legislature calling for bans on union and corporate donations, while the Greens and Independent member Vicki Huntington are also proposing outright bans and donation limits.

Clark says her government will introduce legislation today that requires quicker public reporting of donations.

Clark’s Liberals have been under fire for the last year over exclusive fundraising events where donors pay sums of up to $20,000 to attend dinners with Clark or her cabinet ministers.