Tories accused of selling access to Ford
Democracy Watch says premier’s actions violate interests of Ontarians
The Progressive Conservatives’ decision to enlist lobbyists to peddle $1,250 tickets to Doug Ford’s upcoming fundraiser suggests the governing party is selling access to the premier, charges Democracy Watch.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of the non-partisan organization that advocates for democratic reform and government accountability, expressed concern after the Star first revealed the Tories urged lobbyists to sell tickets to Wednesday’s fundraiser.
“The PC Party asking lobbyists to sell high-priced tickets to the premier’s fundraising event shows that the Ford government is willing to sell access to the premier for cash, and to trade favours with lobbyists, in violation of the interests of the people of Ontario,” he said.
Conacher, an adjunct professor of law and politics at the University of Ottawa, said the governing party will “feel compelled to return the favour by protecting the interests of the lobbyists’ clients. That means the public interest will be violated.”
On Friday, Ford insisted the ticket-selling lobbyists would have no impact on him or his government.
“I can tell you one thing: no one can influence Doug Ford. No one can influence my ministers or my caucus,” he said during a trade mission to Washington.
“We’ve put fundraisers to- gether that are $25-spaghetti dinners as you know, so we have the freebies, we have the $25fundraisers, and then we have the big fundraiser,” the premier said of the Toronto Congress Centre event Wednesday that should make the Tories $2 million. “We have to run campaigns.” As disclosed by the Star on Thursday, the Tories appealed to lobbyists for help due to the tightened rules around political fundraising introduced in 2016. The ban on corporate and union donations has made selling tickets a challenge.
Until the changes three years ago, which were triggered by a Star probe of Liberal political fundraising excesses, companies could purchase entire tables for dinners and then give the tickets to clients.
But now, each ticket must be paid for by an individual.
In an email appeal to clients obtained by the Star, Chris Benedetti, a principal at Sussex Strategy Group, a firm run by Conservatives and Liberals, said the company “has been asked to help with the event.”
“The event is $12,500 for a table of 10 ($1,250/person). To reserve a table, please let us know, and we can assist you in assembling individual registrations to then be sent in as a package,” he wrote.
Benedetti, registered to lobby for 60 different companies at Queen’s Park, said he was contacted by the PC Ontario Fund last month. “I have not spoken to anyone in the premier’s office about this event, and no one in the office or any other government office has been in touch with me to encourage sales or otherwise,” he said.