Saskatchewan NDP leadership candidate Ryan Meili is pledging to do without donations from corporations and unions.

The Saskatoon-Meewasin MLA announced he would only fundraise through individual donors and not accept money from corporations or unions. He said it’s time to update Saskatchewan’s campaign finance laws to bring them in line with the rest of the country.

“Saskatchewan has the worst level of stringent regulations around corporate donations,” Meili said Friday. “We have companies making tens of thousands of dollars of donations. Companies from Alberta, companies that are directly linked to contracts that are coming out of this government."

The physician-turned-politician said he would introduce strict new accountability rules for party donations if elected leader and, eventually, premier.

“It’s a problem in all of our politics, and it’s a problem of trust,” Meili said.

He went on to say he hopes fellow leadership contender Regina Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon will follow his lead in not accepting corporate and union donations.

The NDP leadership convention takes place on March 6, 2018 in Regina.