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Alberta’s ethics commissioner is urging a change to provincial laws to ban politicians from accepting any hospitality gifts from lobbyists that exceed $100.

Marguerite Trussler says a cap tied to events or food is easy to understand and to enforce.

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“That leaves nothing to interpretation,” Trussler said Tuesday to an all-party legislature committee tasked with recommending changes to election, campaign and conflict-of-interest rules.

“You know the exact amount. And it does allow lobbyists to still offer modest hospitality to members.”

Currently, politicians can accept gifts worth up to $200 each, along with event invitations up to a maximum of $400 a year. The ethics commissioner can also approve event invites over the $400.

In her written submission to the committee, Trussler said three out of every four calls she gets from MLAs on gifts relate to lobbyists.

“Directly excluding giving of more expensive gifts by lobbyists would go a long way toward reducing perceptions that members are being, or are able to be, influenced by lobbyists,” she wrote.

The current gift rules raised questions under the former Progressive Conservative government, before Trussler’s tenure, when government members were given the green light for everything from fishing trips to rounds of golf to helicopter rides and hotel rooms, paid for by companies.