Ontario tightens fundraising loopholes

Staff in premier’s office and chiefs of staff will be banned from fundraiser.

TheStar.com
Nov. 9, 2016
By Rob Ferguson

Ontario is tightening loopholes in its proposed campaign finance reforms, banning staff in the premier’s office and chiefs of staff to cabinet ministers from attending political fundraisers.

But opposition MPPs said Wednesday the changes don’t go far enough in curbing “cash for access” fundraising, which could still take place by telephone.

The new amendments tabled by the Liberal government would also block employees of registered political parties in the legislature from going to fundraisers, starting in January.

The changes were prompted by testimony at a second round of public hearings on the reforms and conversations government House Leader Yasir Naqvi had with opposition parties, said his spokesman Kyle Richardson.

Rival parties had complained that allowing political staff to attend fundraisers on behalf of their masters was contrary to the spirit of cleaning up campaign finance rules.

“These new amendments don’t change the fundamental problem,” said NDP finance critic Catherine Fife (Kitchener Waterloo).

Conservative MPP Randy Hillier called on the government to “prohibit direct solicitation of stakeholders by the ministers or the ministers’ staff.”

“As the bill stands, ministers and their staff will still be able to solicit from their stakeholders - people who are looking for preferential policies,” added Hillier (Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington).

In another change, fundraising restrictions on would-be politicians seeking a party’s nomination as a candidate won’t take effect until next July under the proposed Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, also known as Bill 2.

“This follows the advice from the chief electoral officer to provide him and his staff with the required time to implement those provisions of the act,” Richardson said in a statement.

Under previously announced provisions of the bill triggered by a Star series, candidates will be banned from fundraisers as well, but will still be allowed to attend non-fundraising events or events where tickets are sold only to recover costs.

In lieu of fundraising, provincial riding associations for political parties would receive public money for campaigns at an additional cost to taxpayers of $3 million annually.

That’s to help with a shrinking of annual contribution limits to $1,200 a person - from $9,975 now - and a full ban on corporate and union donations.

Major parties will also get an annual subsidy of $2.71 per vote starting next year.

Under that plan, based on results from the 2014 election, the Liberals would get $5.06 million, the Progressive Conservatives $4.09 million, the NDP $3.1 million, and the Green Party $630,000.

The law also limits third-party advertising by groups like Working Families, a union-backed coalition that has run attack ads against the Conservatives in elections since 2003.

A Star series last March disclosed that cabinet ministers under Premier Kathleen Wynne had secret annual fundraising targets for the Liberal party of up to $500,000 each.