In the first months since the United Conservative Party government returned corporate donations to provincial politics, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s party raised more than $471,000 from injury lawyers, car dealers and other businesses, making up more than one-quarter of all UCP donations in the latest period.
Those corporate contributions total more than the $437,000 fundraising gap between the United Conservatives ($1.63 million) and the NDP ($1.19 million) in this year’s third quarter, according to newly released figures from Elections Alberta.
Legislation by the Smith government brought back corporate and union contributions starting this July after a ban on that practice, which the former NDP government had enacted in 2015.
The UCP has leveraged this new rule far more than their chief opposition. Between July and September, New Democrats raised $7,100 from six corporations — and nothing from trade unions — compared to nearly a half-million dollars from 244 corporations cutting cheques to the UCP, according to a CBC News analysis of financing returns.
The UCP’s corporate donors range from car dealerships donating the $5,000 annual maximum, to farms and ranches, land developers and construction companies, to some smaller donations from energy companies including Enbridge and Cenovus.
Many lawyers donated to the governing party, often through the personal corporations they set up as regulated professionals.
That includes more than 20 personal injury lawyers (plus one law firm) whose corporate contributions to the UCP totalled $78,750.
This comes as injury lawyers continue to lobby against the government’s planned auto insurance reforms, which will largely end lawsuits over injury-causing car accidents.
The province’s own report predicted that moving to “no-fault” insurance in 2027 would lead to more than 650 job losses in the legal sector — and lawyers haven’t been shy about raising their opposition to the change.
“Unfortunately, cash for access was the only way for lawyers to engage directly with government on this issue and advocate on behalf of injured Albertans,” lawyer Karamveer Lalh told CBC News in a text message. His professional corporation gave the UCP $3,750.
“If we felt we were being meaningfully consulted with, you wouldn’t see members of our bar giving donations to a party trying to put the hundreds of Albertans we employ out of a job.”
Other injury lawyers didn’t see it that way.
“No, lawyers are not buying the party, [if] that’s what you’re trying to imply,” said Norm Assiff, whose professional corporation donated $3,750 last quarter. His Assiff Law firm added another $3,750, and four other of its lawyers donated the same amount.
“We are often supporters of the party that don’t want to see it adopt NDP policies, as is the case in B.C. and Saskatchewan for insurance, which has been a disaster,” Assiff added in an email.
Calgary injury lawyer Jackie Halpern, another contributor at that amount, noted that she’s long been a supporter of Alberta conservative parties “and I had never considered that I was buying influence,” she told CBC News.
“The party I support is above that. And so am I.”
A spokesperson for Finance Minister Nate Horner said the government consulted widely on insurance reforms, including with trial lawyers.
“Political donations have no influence on government policy,” Marisa Breeze said in an email. “Decisions about Alberta’s auto insurance system are based solely on evidence, expert analysis, and what’s best for Albertans.”
Ten of the corporate donors to UCP in the latest period are recorded merely as numbered companies, like 2387073 Alberta Ltd. of Sturgeon County. These firms donated a total of $21,625.
The NDP opposed the UCP’s move to let companies and unions donate, particularly because of the opacity of numbered companies.
“This act is weakening our democracy,
