UCP defends membership purchasing rules after late-night amendment

Alberta’s United Conservative Party government is defending changes to who can buy how many party memberships, following a late-night legislative session that ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning. 

Bill 81, the Election Statutes Amendment Act, calls for a series of major changes around election financing, sets a fixed election date, and changes the voting process and was passed at close to 3 a.m. 

It drew criticism for changes to rules that the Opposition says allows an individual to buy party memberships for multiple other people.

Some government members objected to the changes, including United Conservative MLA Dave Hanson, who attempted to further amend the bill so permission would need to be secured from a person in order to buy them a membership.

His efforts were unsuccessful following an animated debate in the legislature, with Hanson later accusing his own party’s MLAs of stalling. 

Government house leader Jason Nixon rejected that criticism later Wednesday morning. 

“What you saw last night is democracy and a big-tent party, and a big-tent coalition working together to be able to make sure members can express the views they may be hearing,” he said. 

"The vast majority of caucus sees it differently.”

Hanson, along with fellow government MLAs Leela Aheer and Richard Gotfired, all voted against the bill.

Nixon said the changes were necessary and he was “very confident” it would survive any legal challenges. 

Justice Minister Kaycee Madu backed the amendments, even disputing the chief electoral officer’s interpretation that memberships cannot be purchased for other people.

“In short, only individuals can buy annual political party and constituency association memberships and individuals can only buy memberships for themselves,” reads a bulletin from Elections Alberta.

Opposition New Democrats said the change would allow wealthy donors to buy scores of party memberships on behalf of others without their consent or even knowledge it was happening, and accused the UCP of stifling debate within their own ranks.  

“Kenney and the UCP silenced debate and prevented their own members from representing their constituents in the legislature in order to ram through a bill to undermine democracy in Alberta,” said New Democrat MLA Thomas Dang. 

Other Opposition members noted the UCP’s own 2017 leadership contest remains under RCMP investigation. 

Nixon also echoed earlier arguments that political parties were private clubs, not public institutions, and therefore should not be interfered with by governments. 

"What would we do next? Start to interfere with the membership process of cross-country ski groups, or the local fish and game club or the local church? Of course not.”

He said the bill is expected to get royal assent this afternoon. 

It also represents the end of the legislature’s fall session which started on Oct. 25.