BURNABY—The recommendations of the Local Government Elections Task Force to make local election campaigns more transparent are a good first step towards improving voter participation and re-building trust between elected officials and their constituents, CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hancock said today.
“CUPE BC argued very strongly against the introduction of a corporate vote in BC, and we’re very pleased the Task Force listened to the voices of the many British Columbians who shared our view,” said Hancock. “We’re also glad that the Task Force is recommending that Elections BC take on overall responsibility for local elections and that records of political donations throughout the province will be centrally available to the public for inspection electronically.”
Hancock said that CUPE BC would closely monitor the progress and content of the enabling legislation, which is not expected to be ready for introduction in the Legislature until 2011. “While we understand the logistics of the timeline, it will be crucial to the success of the 2011 local elections that the changes be implemented and communicated very clearly. We also want to ensure that the recommendations are carried out fully by the government,” said Hancock.
View CUPE BC’s submission to the Task Force.
