VICTORIA – For the sixth time, New Democrat Leader John Horgan is bringing forward legislation that would ban big money from B.C. politics and put government back in the hands of ordinary people.

“This is about making government work for people again, instead of the corporations and rich few who can afford to buy power,” said John Horgan. “Government should be owned by the people of B.C. – not bought and paid for by corporations and rich donors.”

Horgan’s bill would prohibit corporate and union donations, restrict donations to individuals living in B.C. and make it illegal for the premier to take a second salary from outside sources like corporations and political donors.

“Between the massive donations the Liberal party gets and the $300,000 Christy Clark personally pocketed from B.C. Liberal donors, people don’t have confidence that government decisions are made in the public interest. Enough is enough. We need to fix that.”

Horgan noted that from 2012 to 2016 the Christy Clark’s B.C. Liberals collected over $8 million from real estate developers.

“The $8 million in donations the real estate industry made to Christy Clark paid for years of delayed action on skyrocketing housing costs,” said Horgan.

“The Liberals watched for two years as the cost of housing skyrocketed out of reach for families, because they cared more about helping their developer friends than ordinary people.

“Christy Clark’s delays made her friends in real estate very rich, but everyday families, who are struggling to find housing, paid the price for their profits. That’s wrong.

“My legislation will ban big money donations, ban the premier from seeking outside funding, and put democracy back in the hands of the people of British Columbia. I believe the job of government is to serve the people of this province – not just the wealthy and the well-connected.”

Horgan introduced the Get Big Money Out of Politics Act on Thursday morning. This is the sixth time the New Democrats have introduced the legislation, dating back to 2005.

A copy of the bill can be found here: http://bit.ly/2lmg4Pj