Campaign transparency in Prince Edward Hastings

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• published: 07 Oct 2008
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If you live in Belleville, Ont., its hard to ignore the upcoming election — campaign signs line the city streets, billboards, and even buses. But do all those signs directly identify support, or do campaign teams erect signs themselves? And just how much money goes into plugging a candidate in one riding? To find out, I met up with three of the four candidates in the Prince Edward-Hastings riding to discuss campaigning and signage. One thing each of the candidates talked about was the reimbursement policies of Elections Canada. If a candidate receives higher than five per cent of the vote in the last election, they are given $1.75 for each vote. Any elected party, or one what receives 10 per cent of the vote or higher, they are also reimbursed for 60 per cent of their campaign spending. This means that parties begin the campaign process with different funds. Inevitably, the party that won the last election will have more funding from the beginning than the others. For parties like the Green Party who have never elected a member to parliament, and who dont break the 10 per cent threshold, this makes for an unfair start, say local candidates Alan Coxwell of the Green Party and Michael McMahon of the NDP. For some parties, spending isnt an issue. Some, in fact, can even reach the $90,734.18 spending cap for this riding. For others, every penny must be counted. Coxwell says his budget for the entire campaign didnt break $11,000. His signs, he says, are recycled from the last election, meaning his only signage expense was that of the stickers he used to replace the last candidates name. McMahon, and local Liberal Candidate, Ken Cole, say the use of signs must be limited. Both say they prefer to only give signs out to those who will use them on their lawns. Although bylaws in Belleville allow for political signage on public property, Cole says he feels this practice doesnt particularly help. Voters know, he says, that those signs are erected by campaign teams, and dont reflect support. Local Conservative candidate, Daryl Kramp, was unable to meet for an interview. Though numerous phone calls were made, and e-mails sent, Kramps campaign team was unable to set up an interview after a week of contact with me. Kramps signs, however, have said more than their fair share. On a bus trip from the Belleville Transit Station to Loyalist College there are over 25 signs pushing different parties. At least 75 per cent of those signs are Kramps. As well, I asked the candidates how their campaigning has gone so far, and what kind of support theyve received. All three said they have been pleasantly surprised with voter excitement. For more details, check out the video. For more information on Alan Coxwell, visit http://greenparty.ca/en/campaign/35073 or http://www.greenparty.ca/en/blog/8589. For more information on Michael McMahon, visit http://michaelmcmahon.ndp.ca/en. For more information on Ken Cole, visit http://kencole.liberal.ca/default_e.aspx. For details on the 40th General election of Canada, visit http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=ele&dir;=40ge&document;=index⟨=e&textonly;=false.