Article content

Is British Columbia a democracy in which citizens are governed for the good of all? A recent poll suggests most British Columbians think we live in an oligarchy, in which the few can buy elections.

According to an Insights West poll, 90 per cent of British Columbians think corporations are influential in shaping public policy, and roughly half think they are the most influential group in politics. Likewise, 68 per cent think that citizens do not have much influence over their government.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Maxwell A. Cameron: A majority of people in B.C. think their government is essentially an oligarchy. This needs to change Back to video

The survey also found that nine out of every 10 British Columbians favour limits on corporate and union donations; 66 per cent would like to ban private fundraisers; and 76 per cent support a cap on campaign contributions. Yet politicians have so far failed to do the right thing and ban union and corporate donations because political parties raise millions of dollars from them.

But money in politics is bad for three reasons that all politicians should care about.