OTTAWA—Prime Minister Stephen Harper has secretly ordered his cabinet ministers to clean up their fundraising practices.

The confidential guidelines were issued while the Conservatives were caught up in a series of uproars arising from allegations of unethical conduct.

“People who make financial contributions to politicians or political parties must not receive, or be seen to receive, preferential access” to the halls of power, Harper’s guidelines state.

He also said political fundraisers should be no-lobbying zones and cabinet ministers and their staffs should avoid discussing departmental business with those who pay to attend these kinds of events.

The order to clean up fundraising also went to parliamentary secretaries, the MPs who act as assistants to cabinet ministers.

“Ministers and parliamentary secretaries must ensure that fundraising does not affect, or appear to affect, access to government,” says the document containing the new rules.

It was provided to the federal ethics commissioner in April but has never been made public.

Harper also ordered an end to the practice whereby cabinet ministers wishing to sell fundraising tickets hit up lobbyists with an interest in their department.

“People who have dealings with ministers and parliamentary secretaries, or with the staffs or departments of ministers and parliamentary secretaries, must not be singled out, or be perceived to be singled out, as the targets of partisan fundraising,” the guidelines state.

The document appears to be a response to the wave of scandals and investigations of Conservatives’ ethical behaviour over the past year.

At the time that ethics czar Mary Dawson received the confidential guidelines, she was conducting an in-depth probe of Labour Minister Lisa Raitt in connection with a $250-a-plate fundraising dinner in Toronto in 2009.

Dawson was responding to allegations that Raitt had breached conflict-of-interest rules because tickets to the event were sold by a cement industry lobbyist who had personally lobbied Raitt (then the natural resources minister) on a proposed cement project.

After an investigation, Dawson concluded Raitt had not violated any conflict-of-interest rules because she was not involved in organizing the fundraiser.

But Dawson recommended tighter restrictions on fundraising by cabinet ministers to keep them from being placed in a conflict of interest or situations suggesting that their financial supporters were benefitting from preferential treatment.

Earlier this year, the ethics commissioner was also investigating alleged violations of conflict-of-interest rules by Conservative MP Rick Dykstra.

The probe arose after Dykstra, the MP for the St. Catharines riding and parliamentary secretary for immigration, held a fundraiser for his riding association in the plush owner’s suite at Rogers Centre last year.

Dawson ruled Dykstra had personally solicited funds for the event but that doing so did not contravene ethics rules for parliamentary secretaries because he had not conducted official business with any those from whom he raised money. The commissioner also concluded there was no problem because “full market value” was paid to rent the suite.

However, Dawson said the government should put an outright ban on personal fundraising solicitations by Members of Parliament who are also cabinet ministers or parliamentary secretaries.

In recent months, Harper’s government has also been caught up in several high-profile investigations arising from the activities of former Conservative cabinet minister Helena Guergis and her husband, former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. A Commons committee has been probing Jaffer’s attempts to use his contacts within the Conservative government to help clients tap into $1 billion in government funding available for “Green” projects.

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Earlier this year the RCMP was following up on a request by Harper for an investigation of Guergis based on unspecified allegations concerning her conduct. The Mounties later closed the matter without laying any charges.

But the ethics commission, responding to an NDP complaint, decided in April to examine Guergis’ efforts to promote a company linked to her husband. That investigation is still underway.

A spokesperson for Harper confirmed that the tougher guidelines on fundraising had been quietly sent out to cabinet ministers. The title is “Fundraising and Dealing with Lobbyists: Best Practices for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.” It will be made public soon, the spokesperson said.

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