Lack of campaign finance rules concerns candidates

Most of the candidates running for mayor in Prince Edward Island'stwo cities are expressing concern about the lack of campaign finance rules for municipal elections in the province.

I would like to know who sponsored them.- Charlottetown candidate Keith Kennedy

There is no requirement on P.E.I. for municipal election candidates to disclose who has donated to their campaign, and no limit on spending.

If you have no accountability and you have no restrictions, worst case scenario someone writes a rather large cheque to an elected individual and the possibility exists that that could buy influence, said Summerside candidate Bill Martin.

Youd hate to think that it does but in the real world it could.

Charlottetown candidate Keith Kennedy is also expressing concern. Kennedy is running a low-budget campaign, painting his own signs on recycled materials. He said no one has donated money to his campaign, but candidates who have received donations should have to disclose where the money came from.

"If youre going to be a race horse, and youre going to be backed by a corporation, then I want to know, and all my council members, I would like to know who sponsored them," said Kennedy.

Summerside incumbent Basil Stewart has been mayor since 1985, winning nine consecutive elections, and he said he has never accepted a campaign contribution.

Ive had a lot of organizations and good people and corporations offer me money to assist in the campaign but Ive always turned it down, said Stewart.

I hire my own workers and when the election is over I dont owe anybody anything.

No spending cap makes elections exclusive

Charlottetown candidate Philip Brown said he's spending thousands of his own savings on his campaign. He has also taken two months of unpaid leave from his teaching job. He said a spending cap to keep races affordable would also be important. The current wide-open system limits who can run to those who can afford it, he said.

Open it up, and you make it transparent and you make it accountable, said Brown.

That's all better not only for the candidates that are running but the voters of Charlottetown."

If campaign contributions were made tax deductible, added Brown, candidates could raise more money and rely less on their own finances, which would encourage more people to run.

The incumbent in the race to be mayor of Charlottetown, Clifford Lee, declined to comment on his campaign finances. His spokesperson wrote in an email that it's not an issue in the campaign.

P.E.I.'s chief electoral officer said so far no one has come to him with concerns about the lack of spending rules for municipal elections.

The election is Nov. 3.

For mobile device users: Should there be rules for campaign financing for municipal elections on P.E.I.?