Kenney accused of 'trying to demonize' environmental groups while ignoring foreign-owned business influence

Agroup advocating for democratic reform saysAlberta UCPLeader Jason Kenney's vow to fight foreign spending by the "green left" is unrealistic.

"It's not really possible to stop foreign money," said DuffConacher, co-founder ofDemocracy Watch.

In a fiery speech Saturday, Kenney promised to cut off the foreign money he says is being spent by "anti-Alberta" groups.

"For over a decade," Kenney told a cheering crowd of United Conservative Partymembers,"our energy industry has been targeted by a foreign-funded campaign of defamation to land lock Canada's oil.

"The cost to us is staggering."

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At theUCP'sfounding convention in Red Deer on the weekend,Kenney also pledged to establish a legislature special committee to investigate foreign funding behind "the anti-Alberta special interests."

"If I am elected premier of Alberta, I will not relent. I will go to the wall. I will form alliances. I will go to court,"said Kenney during a lengthy speechthat often had UCPmembers on theirfeet.

Kenney also vowedto set up a "fully staffed, rapid response war room" within government to defend the resource sector and, "effectively rebut every lie told by the green left."

"We are going to be on a war footing as a government in opposing this well-resourced, strategic campaign," Kenney told reporters.

Kenney also pledged thata UCPgovernment would head to court in hopes offorcingthe federal government to strip groups such as Tides Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation of their charitable status.

Realistic pledge?

But getting foreign money out of Canadian politics isn't as easy as Kenney suggests, according to Conacher, alongtimelawyer.

ConachersaidKenneyfocuses his criticism on citizens' groups and not foreign-owned corporations that also spend money on politics.

"If Jason Kenney wants to stop big money, he should be aiming at all the sources of big money, not just citizen and environmental groups that he's trying to demonize because he favours the foreign-owned big businesses that are operating in the oil patch."

Last week, the federal Liberal governmentproposed legislationbarringorganizations from knowingly accepting election ads from "foreign entities."

Foreign entities will alsobe prohibited from spendingduring the official campaign period.As well, third parties can't workwith other organizations to circumvent the rules against foreign spending.

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But the proposed law won't stop foreign spending by advocacy groups outside of the four months leading up to and during federal election campaigns.

NDPcalls Kenneyhypocritical

The NDP calledKenneyand the UCP's pledges to fight foreign spending on Canadian politics "a little rich."

"After all, it was their party that wrote the book on pay-to-play politics and backroom deals that hurt ordinary working families,"said Labour Minister ChristinaGrayin a statement emailed toCBCNews.

"Our government is committed to ensuring that we have a transparent and healthy democracy where elections are won on the size of ideas, not bank accounts."

In another emailed statement to CBC News, a UCP spokesperson said the party will do everything it can to stop foreign money in politics, and added the party will provide "more specifics" in its platform.