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Feb. 21, 2011
TO: Mr. Craig James, Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Elections B.C.
RE: Organizing for Change, a Project of Tides Canada
I am writing to provide information, to express my opinion, and to suggest that Elections B.C. investigate Organizing for Change, a foreign-funded project that has encouraged thousands of people to temporarily join the Liberal party in order to be able to determine who becomes the next Premier of British Columbia.
By way of background, I am a resident of North Vancouver and have done extensive research on U.S. funding for environmental and political campaigns in Canada. My work has been published in The Financial Post and the Vancouver Sun. I am not funded nor associated with any political party or any industry.
According to my analysis of U.S. tax returns, the member organizations of Organizing for Change have been heavily funded by billion-dollar, U.S. foundations, in conjunction with the U.S. Tides Foundation and Tides Canada, a registered charity. These U.S. foundations, and Tides Canada, appear to me to have a clear agenda to block oil tanker traffic on the north coast of B.C. This would block Canadian oil exports to Asia.
My understanding is that while Elections B.C. does not have statutory jurisdiction over party memberships, it does have a responsibility to ensure that the elections process is conducted in a manner that is fair and transparent.
On the basis of the accompanying information, I believe that Organizing for Change has been unfair and improperly conducted in the sense that the foreign funding for this project has not been fully disclosed.
My hope is that Elections B.C. will properly investigate and take appropriate actions. I also hope that the Elections Act will be amended to prohibit the use of foreign funds to influence the elections process in British Columbia.
Sincerely,
Vivian Krause
c.c. Mr. Ross McMillan, President & CEO, Tides Canada Foundation
Mr. Tim Greyhavens, Executive Director, The Wilburforce Foundation
Mr. Chad Pederson, Executive Director, B.C. Liberal Party
Mr. Wayne Moriarty, Editor-in-Chief, The Province
Ms. Patricia Graham, Editor-in-Chief, The Vancouver
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