Wynne gets it mostly right
Premier Kathleen Wynne deserves praise for the content of a sweeping reform package aimed at finally cleaning up Ontario’s fetid political fundraising. But the way she has gone about it leaves much to be desired.
It’s almost as if she set out to insult the opposition, or at least one-up them, while bringing in long-overdue change. That’s a shame. If any issue warrants a shared, non-partisan approach it’s fixing the way political parties raise money to fund election campaigns.
The reforms Wynne announced on Monday appear to go a long way in correcting a scandalously loose system that has Ontario trailing other jurisdictions when it comes to ethical fundraising. Her proposed changes include:
A ban on corporate and union donations to political parties, starting on Jan. 1. The federal level, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and the City of Toronto already have such a ban.
Afirm spending limit on political advertising done by third-party interest groups, such as business organizations and the unionfunded Working Families coalition.
A dramatic cut to the maximum allowable donation made by an individual from nearly $10,000 down to $1,525, as it is at the federal level.
Closing a loophole that allows political parties to rake in contributions far beyond even existing limits during byelections.
Possibly giving political parties a publicly funded subsidy to help them transition into the brave new world of ethical fundraising.
When the federal level introduced similar reforms it allowed a temporary $2 per-vote subsidy for each major party, based on the number of ballots won in the previous election. It seems a reasonable way to proceed provided this taxpayer-funded financial crutch doesn’t continue for an undue time.
These are all credible reforms but — make no mistake — Wynne didn’t arrive at them through some altruistic dedication to doing the right thing. On the contrary, she repeatedly defended the status quo until forced to take action by damning revelations including an investigation by the Star’s Martin Regg Cohn. He found cabinet ministers were being assigned aggressive fundraising goals, as high as $500,000, to be met by attracting donations from the very sectors they were supposed to be overseeing.
Wynne had to act in the face of that outrageous conflict of interest. To her credit, she has put forward a strong agenda. But she could have handled the rollout better.
Because changes to political fundraising affect all parties, the premier had quite rightly pledged to meet with Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown and New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath to discuss possible improvements. That meeting took place Monday.
But just moments after it ended, Wynne issued a formal 2,000word statement detailing the coming reforms — a document she had written before meeting the other leaders. That was a snub, to say the least. By waiting as little as one day before making her plans known, Wynne could have claimed she had at least considered opposition concerns. But even that minor a concession proved too much.
Inevitably, Brown and Horwath denounced Wynne’s consultation as a sham; and they had a point.
Although the changes are broadly welcome, details remain to be worked out. It’s not too late for Wynne to show some good faith by putting her changes before a special “select” committee of the legislature to canvass for input. As Cohn notes, parties are more equally represented in such a format and it traditionally encourages public participation and enduring agreements.
That’s what this process needs. Wynne has put forward a promising agenda, but it is best delivered through consultation and cooperation, not bulldozing.
Premier Kathleen Wynne should take a non-partisan approach and seek consensus on campaign funding laws