The Union of B.C. Municipalities, which has come under fire for accepting money from China, has appointed an independent panel to review the financing of its annual convention.
However, in a statement, it also said it would go ahead with a wine-and-dine reception sponsored by the government of China at this September’s UBCM convention. That despite calls from Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West for the association representing B.C. municipal governments to cut its ties to China.
The Chinese consulate in Vancouver is paying about $6,000 to be an official sponsor of the event at the Vancouver Convention Centre, in what West called “a cash-for-access scheme.”
West has called on the UBCM to cancel the reception because of tension between China and Canada after the arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver at the request of the U.S. His comments kicked off a fierce public debate, with some criticizing the UBCM for accepting foreign money while others criticized West for speaking up.
The UBCM’s review will “evaluate the various sources of revenue, including sponsorship revenue, currently in use for funding UBCM’s annual convention,” the group said in its statement.
The members of the review panel include four former UBCM presidents — Frank Leonard, Wendy Booth, Sav Dhaliwal, Rhona Martin — and Greg Moore, a former Port Coquitlam mayor.
“The review panel will make recommendations on finance, policies and practices that uphold sound governance, transparency, affordability and accountability for the annual convention,” the UBCM.
But any changes recommended by the panel would not take effect until the 2020 convention.
“Over the past few weeks there have been a number of comments from local elected officials with regard to the Chinese consular reception. What we have heard is that there’s a range of opinion about the event — some support it, and others would like to see it cancelled,” UBCM president Arjun Singh said in the statement. “The consensus of our executive is that the event should be retained this year.”
West called the decision “a pathetic and embarrassing cop-out.”
“You shouldn’t need to appoint a panel to get you to do the right thing or to tell you what the right thing to do is. I think it’s an attempt to make the issue go away, and it’s an attempt to kick the can down the road. And I don’t think it’s going to work.
“There’s a pretty simple principle here, which is you should not be taking money from a hostile foreign government. Only a bunch of politicians would decide that you have to appoint a bunch of other politicians to decide whether that’s right or wrong.”
