Ontario Liberals reverse course, say they will ban all MPP fundraising

TORONTO — Ontario Liberals now say they want to ban all elected provincial politicians from attending fundraisers, after months of criticism over their so-called cash-for-access events.

The surprise proposal came after the Liberals insisted, as recently as last week, that they weren't keen on banning such events through legislation, saying it could prohibit every member of provincial parliament from fundraising and that would be too restrictive.

But that is now exactly what they are proposing.

Attorney General and Government House Leader Yasir Naqvi said in a statement Monday that when the house resumes in September the Liberals will introduce an amendment "to ban fundraising events for all MPPs."

Details are so far scant, but Naqvi said, "This is not by any means a last-minute, hasty decision."

A legislative committee has been holding public hearings across the province this summer, rare for a bill that has only passed the first reading stage, and opposition members of the committee were furious that a "bombshell" was dropped in the middle of it.

"You people are a real piece of work," Progressive Conservative Steve Clark told the Liberal committee members.

"Not only did you continue to do cash for access even after you were caught, you now put this whole process — it's just been a sham. You're going to do whatever you want to do. You don't care what the deputants say. You don't care what we say. You know what? I thought Yasir Naqvi was a different breed of politician and I'm just so disappointed in this shenanigan that you just pulled."

Both the NDP and Tories had proposed amendments to ban cash-for-access fundraising, but Naqvi said that none went "as far as we need to go on this issue." Until Monday the Liberals had proposed no legislative amendments to deal with the issue, preferring a code of conduct.

Naqvi said that he has now determined there is a way to do it through legislation.

Both opposition parties and the Liberals had submitted suggested amendments that were due last week and the committee began a clause-by-clause consideration of them Monday.

It had not been going smoothly even before a Liberal committee member suddenly read out Naqvi's statement in the middle of the afternoon. The Tories accused the Liberals of shooting down opposition amendments without any real consideration, with Progressive Conservative Randy Hillier calling them "parrots" and clucking at them.

"What we see here today is an absolutely disgusting display by all Liberal members on this committee," Hillier said before he and Clark stormed out. "It has been pre-ordained what you're going to do and it's a bunch of BS."

Catherine Fife, the lone NDP committee member, said it was "disrespectful" for the Liberals to announce that proposal out of nowhere.

"This is just Liberal games," she said. "That's all that's happening right here in this committee, it's all that's been happening for the entire day."

Naqvi said the Liberals will also increase a per-vote subsidy for parties "to offset the impacts on parties and riding associations."

The Liberal amendments already included a per-vote subsidy of $2.71, up from their originally proposed $2.26, to offset the loss of corporate and union donations, which the legislation would ban.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press