TORONTO – Premier Kathleen Wynne is defending a plan to ban all elected provincial politicians from fundraising, saying there’s a chance any of them could be in government one day.
The surprise proposal came in the middle of hearings last week into election finance reform legislation.
READ MORE: Ontario Liberals propose to ban all MPPs from fundraising events
The opposition parties have been calling for an end to so-called cash-for-access events that saw cabinet ministers attend high-priced functions, sometimes with stakeholders.
Both the Progressive Conservatives and the NDP had proposed amendments to ban such fundraisers, but Wynne says they didn’t go far enough because they didn’t cover all members of the legislature.
READ MORE: Ontario Liberals not keen on legislation to ban cash-for-access fundraisers
She says if everyone agrees that the “building of networks” should be separated from the raising of money, then the principle should apply across the board.
Wynne says politicians in every caucus believe that at some point there is the possibility they will be a cabinet minister, so they all should be subject to the same rules.
Comments