Article content

Doing business with the B.C. government and at the same time donating money to political parties — those in power or those who hope to govern — is entirely legal in British Columbia.

In the United States, since 1939, it has been illegal for individuals and corporations that have federal contracts, or are negotiating them, to give money to federal candidates, parties or committees. That law was upheld in a 2015 federal court ruling.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Big Liberal donors are doing big business with the B.C. government Back to video

Some states have similar laws, including New Jersey, South Carolina and West Virginia.

At the national level in Canada and in many provinces, including Quebec and Manitoba, and most recently Ontario and Alberta, companies doing business with the government are not allowed to make political contributions because corporation and union donations are banned.

The lack of any such rule in B.C. makes it an outlier in Canada, and could prove to be an issue for voters after the B.C. Liberals raised $14 million in 2016 and 2017 in the run-up to the May 9 provincial election.