Money, power and influence in SK, part 1
This is my article to be published in the upcoming fall edition of The Busy Signal, the newsletter for members of Unifor Local 1-S.
In a democracy, it is supposed to be the people (i.e. the voters) who hold the power. Reality is much different, however; especially in Saskatchewan—which has the loosest campaign financing laws in Canada. There are no limits on donations. Donations from outside the province are allowed, as are donations from corporations and unions.
Money buys power and influence. To really know who holds power over our government and the political discourse in this province, one must follow the money. If we only look at election years beginning with 2007, as there is some validity to the argument that donation amounts track the popular support a party has at any given time, here is how the numbers break down (2020 donation amounts will not be available until next year):
2007 Individuals Corporations Unions Other Total SaskParty $ 1,069,417 $ 3,024,126 $ 0 $ 129,219 $ 4,794,646 NDP $ 1,284,319 $ 585,502 $ 165,999 $ 254,004 $ 2,289,818 Others $ 21,639 $ 1,275 $ 0 $ 6,491 $ 29,405 2011 Individuals Corporations Unions Other Total SaskParty $ 1,718,933 $ 2,939,710 $ 10,752 $ 0 $ 4,669,395 NDP $ 989,797 $ 609,088 $ 325,552 $ 172,551 $ 2,096,989 Others $ 74,160 $ 12,218 $ 0 $ 200,834 $ 287,212 2016 Individuals Corporations Unions Other Total SaskParty $ 2,952,501 $ 2,584,051 $ 0 $ 203,500 $ 5,740,052 NDP $ 1,060,638 $ 838,533 $ 463,138 $ 36,110 $ 2,398,420 Others $ 76,587 $ 8,510 $ 0 $ 807 $ 85,904
When one looks at the numbers, some obvious things stick out. The amount that individuals contribute have been climbing fast in the Sask Party's favour. Corporations prefer the Sask Party, whether they are already in power or not. Unions, on the other hand, prefer the NDP but those amounts pale in comparison to the corporate support the Sask Party receives. These political lines being drawn makes sense ideologically, but this doesn't mean it is ethical in the context of democracy.
Other provinces have moved to restrict political donations, with the BC NDP recently banning both corporate and union donations (as the Sask NDP also want to do). So why does the Sask Party continue to leave our province open to influence by non-voters and outsiders? Could it be that their power would be threatened without the ability to significantly outspend their opponents? If they really believe in their populist messaging, why don't they restrict donations to individual Saskatchewan voters? These are all questions that the people of this province must consider as they face another four-years of a corporate-friendly Sask Party government.
In the next issue, I will dive into the contributions from individuals to see how a lack of a cap on donation amounts might unfairly influence our government.
Notes: Sask Party and NDP contribution amounts come from declarations to Elections Saskatchewan. The totals for other parties only include donations to those parties above $250. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
For more data on donations made to the Sask Party, please check out my Sask Party Donors project.