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It stated they would receive a tax receipt of $187.50 for their $250 donation.

Notley defended the event as a typical party fundraiser until she saw the wording of the notice.

“After she saw it, she agreed it was not appropriate,” her spokesperson Cheryl Oates said.

Oates said the wording of the notice has been changed and the party is continuing with the event.

“We have spoken to the ethics commissioner and she has advised us that cancelling the fundraiser is not necessary,” she said.

“We’re going to change the language. We’re going to make sure that people who are attending understand that the language has been changed and we’re going to continue with a party fundraiser.”

Wildrose MLA Jason Nixon said the NDP should cancel the event and return the proceeds to the donors.

“For us an apology is not enough. You can’t fundraise in an appropriate way and then change your mind and say: ‘Oops, sorry, I didn’t mean to do it like that,’ and still continue on.”

Nixon claimed the public is being asked to buy time to speak to the premier and cabinet ministers.

“That’s completely inappropriate,” he said. “Our cabinet and our premier is already paid to talk to Albertans about Alberta politics.”

Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher said it’s wrong to sell access to political office, and changing the wording of the notice of the event doesn’t change that.

“They shouldn’t be charging any member of the public to get access to the premier and the cabinet because the public is already paying their salary,” he said. “They’re allowing those with money to have more influence by having that access and that goes against the fundamental democratic principle of one person-one vote.”