Real Time Disclosure of Political Contributions

The Chief Electoral Officer has received a request from the Attorney General to “undertake a process of evaluating the requirements for more frequent contribution reporting (“Real Time Disclosure”). The Chief Electoral Officer’s preliminary response to this request is below (link to pdf).  When the analysis is complete, the Chief Electoral Officer will also make this information publicly available.

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April 5, 2016

Honourable Suzanne Anton, QC
Attorney General and Minister of Justice
PO Box 9044 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC  V8W 9E2

Dear Minister:

Thank you for your voice message of March 31, and follow-up letter of April 1, regarding “Real Time Disclosure”.

In your letter, you request that I give consideration to the following questions

• How much time would be required to develop a proposal and to implement Real Time Disclosure;
• What cost would be involved;
• What legislative changes would be required; and
• Are there precedents in other jurisdictions that could be considered.

I am pleased to undertake this task. In keeping with my role as an independent officer of the legislature, and following established protocol, I will provide this advice to you, with a copy to the Speaker, the Opposition Spokesperson for Justice (Attorney General), the member in the Legislative Assembly for the third party, the independent member in the Legislative Assembly, and will post the response on the Elections BC webpage.

Sincerely,

Keith Archer, Ph.D.
Chief Electoral Officer
British Columbia

cc. Honourable Linda Reid
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly

Leonard Krog
Opposition Spokesperson Justice (Attorney General)

Andrew Weaver
Member in the Legislative Assembly for the Green party

Vicki Huntington
Independent Member in the Legislative Assembly