Wynne urging electoral reforms to limit spending, move elections to spring

Premier Kathleen Wynne will introduce new electoral reforms Thursday.

Thestar.com
June 3, 2015
By Robert Benzie

Ontario voters will head to the polls four months earlier than expected under Premier Kathleen Wynne’s new electoral reforms for the next provincial campaign.

Wynne will announce sweeping legislation Thursday moving the 2018 fixed election date from October to the spring in order to avoid conflicting with municipal votes and to take advantage of better weather and longer days.

At the same time, spending limits on controversial third-party advertising will also finally be imposed after years of unchecked millions of dollars being spent by unions and other groups to sway voters.

Government officials said the premier and Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur will also propose lowering the age of registering to vote to 16 - though casting ballots will still be limited to those 18 and older.

That measure is designed to engage younger voters by encouraging them to register.

But the Liberals will not be moving forward with online voting even though some have urged that to boost turnout among young people.

Following the long-standing recommendation of Greg Essensa, Ontario’s chief elections officer, Wynne is also expected to finally close some loopholes to curb campaign spending by third-party interest groups.

Nearly $9 million was spent on advertising by teachers’ unions and other labour organizations during the June 2014 election.

Most of that money helped Wynne’s Liberals by paying for TV attacks ads aimed at the Progressive Conservatives.

Third-party spending has continued to jump from about $6 million during the 2011 campaign and $1.8 million in the 2007 vote.

The most prominent advertiser has been the Working Families coalition of unions that the Conservatives have unsuccessfully tried to link to the Liberals in complaints to Elections Ontario and the courts.

Ontario has long lagged behind the rest of the country to adopt spending limits.

Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and New Brunswick all have strict controls on third-party advertising while Ottawa limits spending to $188,000 per group nationally.

The Liberals on Wednesday refused to say precisely how far Wynne is prepared to go to meet Essensa’s call to beef up the rules.

He has urged “anti-collusion provisions” to ensure political parties aren’t in cahoots with third-party organizations to skirt any campaign spending limits.

In the April 23 budget, Finance Minister Charles Sousa promised that “informed by the report of the chief electoral officer, the province will also move to strengthen rules around the election-related, third-party advertising to protect the public interest.”

While Essensa has recommended moving provincial election from autumn to spring, he’s also urged voting be held on a weekend or school holiday in June.

Ontario elections are traditionally held on a Thursday.

Government officials said no decision has yet been made on whether ballots will be cast on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.

Last year’s election was only held in spring because Wynne’s then minority government did not have the support to survive a confidence motion.

The next vote has been tentatively set for Oct. 4, 2018.