How Edmonton compares to other jurisdictions in election campaign contribution rules
Try as I might, I can't find a more contributer-friendly election campaign funding rules anywhere but here in little ol'Edmonton.
New provincial rules are coming in - a $5,000 maximum on any campaign donation from one entity - but as things now stand ...
There's no limitation on how much any contributor can make to a campaign.
The information - the candidates' lists of all election contributions of $300 or more - are supposed to be public.
In this day and age, that should mean on the city's website, in standard form.
Hardly! The "disclosure forms" are merely collected, stuck in a binder available for viewing at the City Clerk's office. You're not even allowed to photocopy them!
There's no protocol for verifying the accuracy of the donations, nor is there any standard form. Each candidates' list differs. Some are on spread-sheets, some are written in child-like scrawls.
Elsewhere ....
Calgary had major issues about campaign contributions run amuck a few years back.
Calgary municipal candidates still have no limit on donations, but their disclosure forms are listed on the city's website, are standardized, and all must be "certified" by a certified accountant - which at least means an accountant has looked at them and figured they look OK.
Toronto has a $750 limit per contribution for council positions, $2,500 maximum for mayoraly candidates.
Toronto also goes the expenses route. Each candidate is only allowed to spent 70 cents per potential voter in his or her ward, plus $5,000.
On the federal stage, Canada has some of the strictest election contribution laws going.
The Canada Elections Act of 2007 sets out a $1,000 limit, and all contributions must come from individuals. Corporations, trade unions, associations and groups cannot make election campaign contributions. (Wouldn't that knock the stuffing out of Edmonton mayor and councillor election funding!)
On the disclosure side, federal candidates must receipt and report ALL contributions of $20 or more. Donations of $200 or more must include the name, address, amount of each contribution (if more than one) and the date the contribution was received.
Provincially, Alberta has a campaign contribution limit of $2,000 per candidate, and a maximum of $10,000 to the candidates of any one political party. I.E. if my company wanted to support the Conservatives, I can't give more than $2,000 each to a maximum of five candidates.
On the other hand, my company is allowed to give thousands a year to any political party outside of an actual election campaign.
In Ontario, the maximum donation from any one contribution to an individual candidate's campaign is $5,000.
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