You call this campaign finance reform?

Back in the spring, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne grudgingly announced that the province would overhaul its electoral fundraising rules. At the time, the public’s tolerance for the Liberals’ lucrative cash-foraccess fundraisers, swollen corporate donations and unregulated third-party advertising seemed to be running short, particularly after the Globe and Mail revealed that stakeholders were spending as much as $10,000 for some oneon-one time with the premier. Initially, the Liberals defended the notion that wealthy donors should have exclusive access to the province’s decision-makers as just “part of the democratic process,” but they eventually capitulated to mounting public pressure and declared that they would draft campaign finance reform legislation.

That was several months ago. Now the government struction companies vying for lucrative government contracts from shelling out thousands of dollars to dine with Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, or pharmaceutical executives who want to bend the ear of the health minister from writing $10,000 cheques to reserve a seat at the table. So while corporate donations might indeed be banned, and individual donations limited to $3,600, essentially anyone can still donate virtually as much as they want, just so long as they sign a card indicating whether they prefer chicken or fish.

When Wynne announced plans to reform corporate donation rules, the government promised that the result would make “Ontario’s electoral financing system among the strongest and most transparent in Canada.” And indeed, the government did commit back in April to eliminating “private” cash-for-access fundraisers, though that was just the Liberals’ cute way of saying they will start posting the details of their fundraisers online, instead of keeping them under wraps. With the omission of any mention now of dialing back cash-for-access fundraisers, it’s clear that they see nothing wrong with selling access to themselves — it’s all out in the open now, after all — or they simply don’t care how bad it looks. This government has proved time and time again its willingness to flirt with ethical impropriety for the sake of the party: why should this situation be any different?

Both the provincial New Democratic Party and the Progressive Conservatives have criticized the Liberals for ignoring the cash-foraccess issue — the “crux” of the initial scandal, according to PC MPP Randy Hillier, as well as pretty much everyone who has followed this issue — but Wynne apparently remains adamant against eliminating this obvious loophole despite the clear ethical improprieties involved. Rather, her government seems content to promote the fallacy that it is, indeed, lowering the boom on unrestrained political donations, hiding behind a pledge of transparency and a couple of easily circumvented contribution caps. Those who have an issue with that can take it up with the premier at her next $10,000-a-plate fundraiser.