Selinger agrees to reveal campaign donors. Other candidates? Not so much
CBC News | Posted: January 20, 2015 11:17 PM | Last Updated: January 21, 2015
Steve Ashton might release partial donor list; Theresa Oswald only to share contributor info after election
Not all candidates vying to be the next leader of Manitoba’s New Democratic Party will be publicly sharing lists of their campaign donors before the leadership convention.
Candidates aren’t bound by law in Manitoba to disclose the names of their financial contributors until months after an election.
Premier Greg Selinger said he is willing to comply with a CBC News request to disclose a full list of donors ahead of the March election.
Steve Ashton’s camp is a 'maybe,' saying they will consider releasing financial contributor details, while Theresa Oswald said she will only be sharing that information after the election, in accordance with Manitoba laws.
Political scientist Raymond Hebert said that despite Manitoba law, candidates should do everything they can to be as transparent about where their money is coming from.
"I would argue political parties have it within their power to be more stringent than the provincial legislation," said Hebert. "There's no reason why they shouldn't have rules that are very fair and aim towards maximum transparency.”
During federal leadership elections, candidates release donor lists mid-campaign that are posted on Elections Canada’s website.
2009 provincial election
Premier Greg Selinger raised the most money of all competitors in his 2009 NDP leadership bid and won.
With the help of high-profile donors like Mark Chipman, Selinger raked in just over $86,000 that year. And on Tuesday, Selinger’s team said it will be releasing a comprehensive list of contributors before the vote in March.
Hebert commended Selinger’s move, and said releasing donor lists demonstrates to the public that candidates have nothing to hide.
"If there are any backroom boys, I think the public is entitled to know," said Hebert.
Steve Ashton, who was the runner-up in the 2009 election and raised more than $83,000, said he’ll be relying on many of the same names to help him amass cash this time around.
"I've run before, so there's a lot of consistency on the donors," said Ashton.
Ashton said he isn’t certain his team will have a full list to share before the March convention.
"I know from last time we had a fair amount of fundraising at the convention or after. So I'm not sure there would be a complete list," said Ashton. “We can look at it. Quite frankly I've been focused mostly on the delegate side."
Oswald complying with election laws
Meanwhile, Theresa Oswald’s campaign has said they won’t be sharing donor information ahead of the election, opting instead to follow Manitoba law.
Oswald’s camp said in an email to CBC News that it is unfair to donors to change the rules half way through a campaign.
“The list of financial contributors to Theresa's campaign will be released in full compliance with the current election laws. We’re now nearly half way through this campaign, we have to honour donors’ expectations that their contributions will be publicly disclosed under the current rules set in law,” the statement read.
Political Scientist Chris Adams said it is strategic for contenders not to release donor lists before the vote.
“You're taking a risk in that — to use the business expression: it's competitive intelligence,” said Adams. “It shows the level of support and the profile of the supporters.”
In the event that she wins the leadership election, Oswald said she would consider reviewing the current rules in the name of strengthening transparency at the provincial level.
Premier has greater responsibility to disclose?
Adams believes that as the premier in the midst of a leadership race, Selinger has a greater responsibility than other candidates to reveal donor support.
"We're in uncharted territory. At no point in Manitoba history have we had a sitting premier running for the leadership of his or her party,” said Adams.
"It's good Selinger is showing his supporter list in terms of who's donating, because he is a sitting premier and you want to know who's pulling out a chequebook and writing a cheque to a sitting premier."
But Hebert disagreed with that analysis. He said that no matter the candidate, waiting to reveal who is financially contributing to a campaign only makes races less transparent.
"It's lacking a bit of courage,” said Hebert. “If they're willing to contribute financially to a candidate’s campaign, they should be willing also to have that information come public."
The NDP leadership vote will be held March 8.
To view Steve Ashton, Greg Selinger and Andrew Swan's 2009 leadership campaign donor lists, read below: