The BC NDP sent a letter to the BC Green Party requesting they help with a membership validation process.
The BC NDP says they have consulted with their lawyers for a process that would respect privacy laws.
The B.C. NDP say the request came after an audit “revealed a significant number of current and former B.C. Greens applying for membership in the B.C. NDP.”
The constitutions of both parties require exclusive membership, a person can only be a member of one party, according to a letter from Heather Stoutenburg, provincial director of the B.C. NDP, to the Greens.
“B.C. Green members cannot be members of the B.C. NDP and vice-versa,” the letter reads.
The BC NDP says they have heard from former and current BC Green members say they have told other Greens to temporarily suspend their memberships to join the B.C. NDP, to vote in the BC NDP leadership race for Premier John Horgan’s replacement.
“Joining the B.C. NDP for the sole purpose of voting in a leadership election while retaining membership in the B.C. Greens or while on temporary hiatus is fraudulent,” the letter says.
The conditions of the agreement is each party will mutually select a neutral third party to review membership lists. The neutral party will then review the memberships on two specific dates.
The first date is June 27, 2022, immediately prior to Premier Horgan’s announcement that he would step down as premier. The second date is September 5, 2022, immediately following the deadline to join the BC NDP and participate in the Leadership Election.
The third party will be expected to create two lists. One with individuals who held simultaneous memberships in both the BC NDP and the BC Greens on September 5, 2022
and the second will be the names of individuals who held a BC Greens membership on June 27, 2022 and a BC NDP membership on September 5, 2022.
The BC Green party shot down the BC NDP membership audit request citing their privacy policy.
“Our privacy policy prohibits the disclosure of our members’ personal information to third parties, except in limited circumstances. Your request does not meet these criteria,” reads a letter to Stoutenburg from B.C. Green Provincial Council Chair Jeremy Valeriote.
The BC NDP was disappointed with the response they got from the BC Greens questioning the future of its registered political party status.
“If a significant portion of the B.C. Green membership is attempting a hostile takeover of the B.C. NDP, this does not reflect well on the B.C. Green Party and we would wonder whether it puts its status as a registered political party in jeopardy,” the statement said.
According to TheTyee, Logtenberg’s is a former president of the provincial Green Party Nelson Creston Riding Association and this peaked the interest of the BC NDP to check the validation of his membership is no longer active with the BC Greens.
On going investigation around Appadurai’s campaign
Both Elections BC and the NDP are looking into possible illegal contributions made to Appadurai’s campaign by an environmental lobby group.
Dogwood is accused of utilizing its resources to persuade people to join the NDP and cast their votes in the leadership election, effectively funding Appadurai’s campaign.
The environmental lobby group Dogwood allegedly set up much like a call centre with paid workers sending emails and texts to their membership list to persuade people to become BC NDP members to support Appadurai’s campaign.
The BC NDP then launched an investigation in to allegations of a third party offering to pay for potential new membership $10 membership fee to join the BC NDP party before the deadline to vote in the leadership race. The offer to pay for other people’s memberships was done during an Instagram live stream.
According to Elections BC it is illegal to pay for other people’s membership fees.
“You must make your contribution with your own money or property. Political contributions cannot be made indirectly with the money or property of another person, or be reimbursed by another person.” it says on Elections BC.
New leadership voting can start as early as Nov. 13, and results expected by Dec. 3.
