Front groups should be up-front about funding

Canadians have a right to know who is spending big money to influence their most important public policy decisions, particularly if that money originates outside the country.

The issue erupted with the opening of Northern Gateway Pipeline hearings in British Columbia this week, spurred by the federal government’s public attack on foreign-funded groups that “hijack” the regulatory process as part of a larger agenda that seeks to steer the Canadian economy away from “dirty” natural resource extraction.

Tides Foundation, which "washes" money for publicity shy American donors, has been pointed to as a concern, based on the work of B.C. blogger Vivian Krause.

Canadian environmental lobbyists don’t deny there is a lot of American money washing through their organizations. They justify it on the basis that there is a lot of foreign money flowing to the rapacious corporate side too.

Contributions from American philanthropic foundations like Tides help level the playing field so that the voices of concerned Canadians can be clearly heard above the corporate din, they argue.

One Tides defender – Vancouver writer, politician and urban food activist Peter Ladner – suggests we shouldn’t stress about it. Canada’s natural resources have always been a playground for foreigners. We’ve grown rich on it.

“Since when were organizations outside this country not ‘interfering’ with Canada’s natural resources?” Ladner asks in a mid-December article reproduced on the Tides Canada website. “Starting with the Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada has depended on all manner of foreign investors to make us the rich nation we are today.”

These arguments may be true. They may be valid. But they completely miss the point.

Canada is a small country that has long been dominated by foreign interests. Psychologically, we’re still a bit of a Rupert’s Land, far too accustomed to taking direction from other people in other countries. In our quest to become our own people, we struggle to cast off the heavy baggage of Empire and Manifest Destiny and foreign adventurers of every stripe.

That will be an uphill battle for us if we continue to let people in other parts of the world believe it’s their God-given right to interfere in our affairs.

Canadians have a right to determine their own destiny. Other people can pitch their arguments at us. They can openly lavish time, praise and gobs of money on Canadians who reflect their world views. They can posture and rant and huff and puff to their hearts’ content.

But they shouldn’t expect to get away with camouflaging their activities through phony front groups or sleight-of-hand funding mechanisms.

At a minimum, Canadians can and should demand funding transparency from individuals, companies and organizations who want to participate in the public processes that will guide our fundamental policy, political and economic decisions.