There will be some interesting conversations on the convention floor when Alberta Party members gather for their Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Red Deer. Greg Clark, leader of the centrist party since 2013, surprised many by announcing his resignation late last week.
The Calgary-Elbow MLA explains it away as a move to boost membership sales and motivate volunteers.
To some, they’re known as Political Action Committees, or PACs. To others, they’re purveyors of “dark money.”
PACs race cash for a political cause but are not regulated by the rules of governing politicians and their parties. And they raise serious cash, some in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s recent annual report warns that third party activities could tilt the playing field in the next provincial election. And the Premier has since pledged to crack down as much as her government can under Canadian law.
This week's Political Panel features: Kathy Kerr, freelance writer and editor, Janet Brown, public opinion consultant and Melanee Thomas, Associate Professor in the department of political science at the University of Calgary.