NPA Coun. George Affleck wants his party to make public all its expenses dating back more than three years that weren't contained in campaign disclosure documents.
Affleck said he will make the request at the NPA's next board of directors' meeting, scheduled for May 30. If the board accepts his proposal, Affleck said he would then challenge Vision Vancouver and COPE to open up their books.
"That would be the goal moving forward-that every penny that we get and every penny we spend is made public on an annual basis," he told the Courier.
Council passed a motion unanimously in January requesting the provincial government make changes to legislation that all donations and expenses for candidates, elected officials and elector organizations be disclosed on a continuous basis at six-month intervals.
But Affleck said he wasn't confident the provincial government would agree to the change. He noted the government has stalled on agreeing to any of council's previous requests, including banning union and corporate donations and imposing spending limits.
"This is really a handshake deal that we just all do this," Affleck said of his proposal.
Municipal law states that all candidates running in a civic election must disclose their campaign expenses within 120 days after the vote. The law also applies to political parties and third-party advertisers such as unions.
There is no law that dictates a political party must disclose what it raises and spends between elections in areas such as office expenses, travel and salaries of party staff.
Affleck said he wants those expenses posted on his party's website for public viewing. Other expenses would include any money spent and collected on fundraisers and events such as the NPA's annual general meeting scheduled for June 28.
Affleck, who was elected in November 2011, said his goal is to bring more transparency to civic politics in Vancouver, where his own party spent $2.5 million in the 2011 vote. Vision Vancouver shelled out $2.5 million and COPE, which ran a coordinated campaign with Vision, spent $360,969.
Vision spokesperson Stepan Vdovine described Affleck's proposal as "political posturing," adding that an NPA candidate from the 2011 election had still yet to file his campaign expenses.
Francis Wong told the Courier Monday he will file his documents this week. His failure to meet two deadlines left him with a $500 fine and barred from seeking office in 2014.
Vdovine also noted the NPA accrued a debt in the 2011 race and he has yet to see the party file a supplementary document listing the people who paid off the debt.
"It would be great to see a day when the NPA finally starts following the rules and discloses what needs to be disclosed," he said.
Vdovine, however, wouldn't say whether Vision would open its books between elections, noting the party will continue to follow civic elections rules regarding financing.
Next month, Vision will hold a $250-a-plate fundraiser at the Coast Plaza Hotel in the West End. The money will be used keep the party afloat before the 2014 election.
When asked if the public will learn how much the party raised and where the money came from, Vdovine replied: "We are currently required to make our next disclosure after the next campaign in 2014. That's when we'll be filing the disclosure, unless the rules change."
Ida Chong, the provincial minister responsible for making changes to civic election rules, told the Courier in March that spending limits for campaigns will be in place for the 2014 vote.
Twitter: @Howellings
