AUMA advances member principles on LAEA amendments

Last month, the government introduced Bill 29, the Local Authorities Election Amendment Act, 2020. While supportive of some provisions, the AUMA Board of Directors identified several concerns and passed a number of Board directive motions, seeking changes to the bill to better align with the principles adopted by our members.

AUMA President Barry Morishita met with Minister Madu to advocate for changes to Bill 29 and stressed the need for:

• lower individual contribution limits;
• stronger limitations on third-party contributions; and
• the importance of allowing municipalities to retain the authority to pass bylaws, to mandate interim campaign contribution disclosures prior to election day.

We are optimistic that the minister heard and understands AUMA’s concerns, and that our challenges with the legislation will be addressed before Bill 29 is passed by the Legislature.