A probe by Elections BC into indirect political contributions and possible violations of the Elections Act has now been handed over to Mounties.
Chief Electoral Officer Keith Archer said in a statement it needs to focus on the upcoming provincial election.
"This referral will also ensure that there is no perception that Elections BC’s ability to administer the general election in a fair, neutral and impartial manner is in any way compromised," Archer said.
"The potential scope and timing of this matter make the RCMP the most appropriate agency to continue this investigation."
Earlier this week, the agency said its investigation, which was initiated after the BC Liberals were accused of accepting illegal donations, will be wide-reaching – and will not be limited to a single party.
The allegations against the BC Liberals were revealed in a Globe and Mail report. The investigation claimed that lobbyists donated tens of thousands of dollars to Premier Christy Clark's party on behalf of clients and companies, keeping the companies’ names off of campaign contribution records.
Such indirect contributions would be a violation of one of the few restrictions the province maintains on political donations.
Deputy premier Rich Coleman said the party is transparent when it comes to fundraising – and has done nothing wrong.
The RCMP confirms it has begun its probe into allegations of indirect communications but said no further information is available to share.
"We will take the time necessary to conduct a thorough investigation," Sgt. Annie Linteau said.
Elections BC said it may support Mounties as the investigation progresses but it won't comment further while the investigation is ongoing.
In response to the latest developments, Emile Scheffel, the BC Liberals' Director of Communications, said in a statement the party will fully cooperate if it is contacted by Mounties.
"We are committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that British Columbians can have confidence in our electoral financing system. That’s why we are voluntarily reporting all contributions in real time on our website," he said.
NDP Leader John Horgan used the probe as an opportunity to slam the premier, and the integrity of the governing party.
"It gives people the perception that despite their best efforts the government that gets elected is influenced only by the people who are writing cheques for their political party," he said.
Horgan said he's pleased the RCMP is doing a deeper dive into the allegations, but is concerned the police investigation won't be complete until after B.C. voters go to the polls on May 9.
He's not concerned at all that Elections BC may also look into the BC NDP, he added.
At his request, party officials just went back through four years of donation records, and turned up "three or four instances" where there is uncertainty.
"They found three or four instances where there may have been an administrative error or a contribution that was made inappropriately. We're looking into those," he said in a telephone interview with CTV Vancouver's parliamentary bureau chief.
The BC NDP is contacting those individuals, and Horgan says if anything inappropriate is found they will deal with Elections BC – and refund the money.
