COPE on lobbying: a lobbyist registry, cooling-off periods and campaign finance reform
COPE would bring in a municipal lobbying registry, set cooling-off periods between city jobs and work for industries that lobby the city, and give the Integrity Commissioner more power. It would also push for campaign finance reform, which is set by provincial law.
THE PEOPLE'S AUDIT · PAGE 11
End the Influence of Billionaires and Lobbyists at City Hall: what the Fight for Vancouver says
This chapter of COPE's platform deals with money and influence at City Hall. COPE would give the Integrity Commissioner more power to hold politicians to account and would update the city's code of conduct to give priority to breaches of public trust. The platform says the commissioner found that Sim and ABC councillors broke the code by agreeing on wording and votes in private group chats before public meetings. These are the party's statements about the findings.
The party would bring in a municipal lobbying registry so the public can see when and how the wealthiest people try to influence city decisions. It would also set mandatory cooling-off periods between city appointments and jobs in private industries that lobby the city. COPE says the city can take some of these steps alone and would seek more authority for the rest.
Campaign finance is the other half of the chapter. COPE says the lack of tax rebates for donations in municipal elections favours the rich, that third-party advertisers are poorly regulated, and that big donor networks are easy to coordinate. Contribution rules for BC local elections are set by the provincial Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, so this part needs the Province.
4 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Empower the Integrity Commissioner
COPE would give the Integrity Commissioner power to hold politicians accountable and update the city code of conduct to give priority to breaches of public trust. The platform says the commissioner found Sim and ABC councillors broke the code by coordinating wording and votes in private group chats, and that ABC voted down accountability after a separate investigation about Sim's conduct toward Councillor Orr.
- Who has the power
- City Council The Integrity Commissioner works under the city's Code of Conduct By-law, which Council can change.
Campaign finance reform
The party would fight for campaign finance reform to close the loopholes it says let the wealthiest people buy politicians and elections. It names the lack of tax rebates for municipal donations, poorly regulated third-party advertisers, and donor networks that coordinate campaigns without oversight.
- Who has the power
- Province Contribution rules for BC local elections are set by the provincial Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, so the city can only press for change.
Ban the revolving door between industry and government
COPE would set mandatory cooling-off periods between appointments in city government and work in private industries that lobby the city.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can set conditions for the city's own appointments and staff.
A municipal lobbying registry
The party would bring in a municipal lobbying registry so the public knows how and when the wealthiest people influence city decisions. It says the city can take steps on its own, and it would fight to strengthen city authority so this influence cannot hide from public oversight.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The platform says the city can start a registry alone. The extra authority it seeks would have to come from the Province, which writes the Vancouver Charter.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about end the influence of billionaires and lobbyists at city hall
Does COPE support a lobbyist registry for Vancouver?
Yes. COPE would bring in a municipal lobbying registry so the public knows how and when the wealthiest people influence city decisions. The party says the city can take steps on its own and would seek more authority from senior governments (platform, page 11).
What is COPE's plan for the revolving door at City Hall?
COPE would set mandatory cooling-off periods between appointments in city government and work in private industries that lobby the city (platform, page 11).
What does COPE say about the Integrity Commissioner?
COPE would give the Integrity Commissioner more power and update the code of conduct to put breaches of public trust first. The platform says the commissioner found that Sim and ABC councillors broke the code by coordinating votes in private group chats (platform, page 11).
Can Vancouver change its own campaign finance rules?
COPE says it would fight for campaign finance reform on tax rebates, third-party advertisers and donor networks. Contribution rules for BC local elections are set by the provincial Local Elections Campaign Financing Act, so the city can only press for change (platform, page 11).
Why does COPE want campaign finance reform in Vancouver?
COPE says the lack of tax rebates for municipal election donations favours the rich, that third-party advertisers are poorly regulated, and that big money groups can coordinate donor networks without oversight (platform, page 11).
ON THE BALLOT
The COPE candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- Fight for Vancouver: COPE 2026 Platform (PDF) SAYS SO ITSELFCOPE · pages 11 · checked
- Integrity Commissioner and the Code of Conduct By-law City of Vancouver · checked
- Making a campaign contribution in BC local elections Elections BC · checked