[LabComm] Why is Campbell using tax $$ for his election campaign?

[BC NDP NEWSWIRE]

Why is Campbell using tax $$ for his election campaign?

Take action to stop Campbell's inappropriate use of government resources

Dear Friend -

Before the election, Gordon Campbell spent millions of taxpayer dollars on feel good advertising to promote his government.

And now, in the middle of the election, he's at it again. This time using our money to promote the Liberal platform.
 
Today, the Province newspaper reported that the BC Liberals have used a government website - which is supposed to be strictly neutral - to promote Liberal election propaganda!

And there's more. New allegations of using legislative resources to solicit Liberal party donations are rocking the ethically-challenged Campbell Liberals.

Municipal officials have reported that they were solicited to attend a conference on regional diversification.  The invitation was sent on Legislative Assembly letterhead but later the attendees were told to make their cheques payable to the BC Liberal Party!

Using non-partisan, taxpayer funded resources to run an election campaign is not only unethical, it may in fact be illegal. Do we really want four more years of this?

It's time to take action!

There are three things you can do to help:

1.<strong>Send a letter to your local newspaper</strong> demanding that Gordon Campbell stop using of taxpayer dollars to fund the Liberals' election campaign and pay the money back. To go to our "speak-out" section of the website where you can send a letter to local newspapers, click here:http://getinvolved-speakout.bc.ndp.ca/

2.<strong>Help Carole James</strong> keep up the pressure to keep Gordon Campbell accountable. Please support this effort <strong<by making a donation<strong> - whatever you can afford. Click here: https://www.bc.ndp.ca/index.php?page_id=64&

3.<strong>Pass this message on to five friends</strong> who you think are as concerned about Gordon Campbell's unethical use of taxpayer money as you are. We need to spread the word!

Please, take action today!

Thanks,

Gerry Scott,

Campaign manager, BCNDP

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Letter from NDP leader Carole James to Liberal Party leader Gordon Campbell


April 26, 2005

Gordon Campbell
Leader, BC Liberal Party


Dear Mr. Campbell,

You will be familiar with media reports today regarding your Party's inappropriate use of government or Legislative resources to support your election campaign and fundraising.  In the first instance, it is now apparent that your government utilized professional civil servants to provide partisan political support to your election campaign.  

In the second instance, it is clear from media reports that your government has used Legislative Assembly letterhead to effectively solicit political donations from local governments in exchange for meetings with Cabinet Ministers and key government staff.

I expect that you would agree with me that both these initiatives are completely inappropriate and should cease immediately.

I am asking you to provide the public with the following information:

- Exactly how much money has the BC Liberal Party raised by requiring local government officials to donate to the BC Liberal Party in exchange for meetings with you or other members of your government, or your government's officials?

- Exactly how much taxpayers' money has been spent by your government on the so-called "Four Years of Action - New Era Promises Made and Kept" section of the Government website, which is linked directly to your BC Liberal Party campaign website?

Further, I ask that when this accounting of inappropriate donations and inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded government staff is complete that you order  the BC Liberal Party to refund the inappropriate donations to the local government officials who provided them, and that your Party refund to the provincial treasury the full cost of the production of the website materials.

In addition, I expect that you will provide this information to the Chief Electoral Officer, the Office of the Auditor General, as well as the Office of the Legislative Comptroller for their review of any impacts of your Party's actions on their respective jurisdictions.

I am shocked that you would consider this kind of conduct to be acceptable.  I trust that a full and frank accounting - and the necessary repayment for inappropriate political use of taxpayers' dollars - will be forthcoming today.

Sincerely,


Carole James
Leader, BC NDP



cc:	
Harry Neufeld, Chief Electoral Officer
Wayne Strelioff, Auditor General
Peter Bray, Legislative Comptroller
Michael Smyth, Vancouver Province
Provincial media

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