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(Queen’s Park) – Mike Schreiner, leader of the GPO, was invited to contribute to drafting new legislation through a presentation to the Standing Committee on General Government.
“The Liberal bill before us takes a step towards reforming fundraising rules to restore trust in our government – but it does not go far enough,” says Schreiner. “If the government is serious about getting big money out of politics, then Bill 201 must lower donation limits and loopholes, reduce party spending limits, and tighten disclosure and oversight rules.”
The Liberal bill reflects many of the GPO’s priorities, including eliminating corporate and union donations, limiting third-party advertising, and introducing a per-vote allowance to finance political parties. However, there are still some glaring omissions that need to be addressed, and Schreiner’s presentation ensured they remain part of the discussion.
“Bill 201 starts us down the road toward a better democracy, but doesn’t go far enough. We need lower donation limits so MPPs can focus on creating good public policy,” added Schreiner. “We also need lower spending limits to take away the pressure that we see right now to go after big money – and to make promises in return for exclusive access to MPPs, Ministers and even the Premier.”
“Changes to Bill 201 can take us all the way down that democratic road. Let’s make the focus of politics about people, not about the incessant need to raise big money,” concluded Schreiner.
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A copy of Mike’s presentation can be found at: https://gpo.ca/how-fix-elections-finances-bill
Send a message to Premier Wynne to ask her to close the loopholes in the bill: https://secure.gpo.ca/content/premier-lets-get-right