Article content

When B.C.’s mayors and councillors gather this fall for their annual convention, a wine-and-dine reception put on by the government of China will be included prominently in the official program.

But when the Liberal caucus at the B.C. legislature holds its annual engagement sessions with conference delegates, their events will be conspicuously absent from the agenda.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Mike Smyth: Liberals snubbed as China gets red-carpet treatment at UBCM Back to video

Why the difference? Because the government of China paid $6,000 to be an “official sponsor” of the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.

The Liberals — who form the official Opposition in the legislature — aren’t sponsors of the convention.

At the UBCM, it’s strictly a pay-to-play system: Cough up money for a sponsorship or you don’t get listed in the convention program or on the UBCM website or mobile-phone app.

“It makes it difficult to get people to come out,” Liberal MLA Todd Stone told me Monday. “The caucus budget is taxpayers’ money and we were not going to spend it on a UBCM sponsorship. I think they need to review their practices.”