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A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces

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A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2016 A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces Johnson, Anna Elizabeth Johnson, A. E. (2016). A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24664 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3482 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY A Comparative Analysis of Political Finance Regulation in the Maritime Provinces by Anna Elizabeth Johnson A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN POLITICAL SCIENCE CALGARY, ALBERTA DECEMBER, 2016 © Anna Elizabeth Johnson 2016 Abstract Money is crucial to the functioning of democracy and is often used as a tool to influence the political process. However, concerns about real or perceived corruption has led many jurisdictions to regulate political finances. Politics in the Maritime Provinces have long been notorious for corrupt practices. Yet, political finance regimes have existed in these provinces for several decades. Using historical and political contexts and three benchmarks for political finance regulation—equality of opportunity for political actors, equality of opportunity for private actors, and mitigation of corruption—the effectiveness of the regimes in the Maritime provinces is assessed. Differing experiences with internal and external pressures for reform have led to varying results. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, internal pressures due to shifting attitudes toward equality led to more comprehensive and effective regimes than that of PEI, which was spurred by external forces through a contagion effect. ii Acknowledgements I would like to begin by thanking the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and University of Calgary’s Department of Political Science for their generous financial support for this project. I would also like to thank the members of the faculty and staff who made this project and degree possible through their ongoing advice and support. I am particularly thankful to my supervisor, Dr. David Stewart, whose constant encouragement kept me writing. Thank you for your unwavering belief in my abilities and, most of all, for your patience. To my colleagues and friends in political science, thank you for the laughs, distractions, and great memories. Thank you to the PhD students who acted as my mentors throughout this process and my MA cohort with whom I was able to share my stress and frustrations. A special thank you to my friends in Medical Physics, for pretending to care about politics and for teaching me about the fascinating world of radiation treatments. To my parents, Bill and Dawn, I never would have made it this far without you. Thank you for the support, both academic and emotional, the motivation, and the unconditional love. To my brother Billy, thanks for the mutual rants about grad school, and to my sister, Emma, thank you for reminding me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel—that a good thesis is a finished thesis! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. iii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 The Development of Political Finance Regulation in Canada .........................................3 Why Regulate Political Finance? .....................................................................................8 Why Parties Seek Regulation and Reform ....................................................................16 Political Finance in the Maritimes .................................................................................22 CHAPTER 2: NOVA SCOTIA .........................................................................................30 Political and Social Context ...........................................................................................30 Early Political Finance Reform ......................................................................................33 Current Political Finance Regime ..................................................................................45 Expense Limits .........................................................................................................46 Contribution Limits ..................................................................................................47 Public Funding ..........................................................................................................48 Transparency ............................................................................................................49 The Regime and Political Finance Benchmarks ............................................................51 Equality of Opportunity for Political Actors ............................................................52 Equality of Opportunity for Private Actors ..............................................................58 Openness and Mitigation of Corruption ...................................................................62 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................65 CHAPTER 3: NEW BRUNSWICK ..................................................................................68 Political and Social Context ...........................................................................................68 Early Political Finance Reform ......................................................................................70 The Current Political Finance Regime ...........................................................................82 Expense Limits .........................................................................................................83 Contribution Limits ..................................................................................................84 Public Funding ..........................................................................................................85 Transparency ............................................................................................................87 The Regime and Political Finance Benchmarks ............................................................88 Equality of Opportunity for Political Actors ............................................................89 Equality of Opportunity for Private Actors ..............................................................97 Openness and Mitigation of Corruption .................................................................102 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................105 CHAPTER 4: PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ..................................................................108 Political and Social Context .........................................................................................108 Early Political Finance Reform ....................................................................................114 Current Political Finance Regime ................................................................................121 Expense Limits .......................................................................................................121 Contribution Limits ................................................................................................122 iv Public Funding ........................................................................................................123 Transparency ..........................................................................................................124 The Regime and Political Finance Benchmarks ..........................................................126 Equality of Opportunity for Political Actors ..........................................................126 Equality of Opportunity for Private Actors ............................................................137 Openness and Mitigation of Corruption .................................................................141 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................143 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................146 Equality of Opportunity for Political Actors ...............................................................149 Equality
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