Other main parties’ top donors also provided too-high amount of funding
Ford doubled donation limit in spring 2021, allowing rich donors to buy even more influence over parties and politicians, especially Ford’s PC Party
To make system democratic and ethical, donations and loans should be limited to $100 a year (as in Quebec) and per-vote funding reviewed to prove it is needed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, February 24, 2025
OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch released its analysis of 2021-2024 donations to Ontario’s main political party donations. The analysis shows Doug Ford’s PC Party is supported much more by rich donors than the other three main Ontario parties.
According to data from Elections Ontario’s donations database, from 2021-2024:
• Ford’s PC Party received on average 71% of its total donations from donors who each donated $1,000 or more, and those donors are 48% of its total number of donors.
• Liberals received almost 48% of their donations from donors who donated $1,000 or more, who are 22% of their total donors.
• NDP received 28% of their total donations from only 10% of their donors who each donated $1,000 or more.
• Greens received just under 24% of their total from only 9% of their donors who each donated $1,000 or more.
The Ford government’s Bill 254, enacted in May 2021, doubled the annual donation limit to $3,300 annually (the limit increases by $25 automatically each year), which has allowed wealthy donors to buy even more unethical influence over parties and politicians, including by having business executives and their family members all make donations. Click here to see how studies worldwide show that giving even small gifts have influence over decision-makers.
“Doug Ford claims that he cares about all Ontario voters, but rich voters are buying influence over him with high-level donations much more than any other party leader, donations that have corrupted the Ford government’s decisions and actions in many areas in favour of rich donors,” said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch.
“The Ford PC Party’s doubling of the donation limit has created an unethical, undemocratic pay to play, cash-for-access system that allows rich donors to buy even more unethical influence over parties and politicians.” said Conacher.
Based on the donation patterns since Ford doubled the donation limit in 2021, Democracy Watch, joined by thousands of Ontario voters who support the call for these changes, issued an urgent call on Ontario’s political parties to make the following changes to get big money out of Ontario politics finally:
1. set an individual donation limit of $100 per year (as in Quebec);
2. set a limit of what candidates can give to their own campaign of $100 per year;
3. prohibit loans to parties except from a public fund;
4. review the per-vote annual public funding and, if the parties can actually prove they need it, set it at most $1 per vote (and instead use annual donation-matching public funding if parties prove it is needed as that is a better system), and;
5. strengthen enforcement and penalties for violations.
Democracy Watch also called on Elections Ontario to conduct an annual audit to ensure that businesses are not funneling donations through their executives and family members, and to ensure that lobbyists are not holding fundraising events to be “bundlers” of donations as a way of having undue influence over parties or politicians, as has happened across Canada wherever donors are allowed to donate more than $1,000 annually. Click here to see a summary of donation funneling scandals across Canada.
“Ontario’s too-high donation limit has been shown to encourage funneling of donations from businesses through their executives and employees and their families, and bundling of donations by lobbyists, and Elections Ontario must conduct an annual audit to catch these unethical donations,” said Conacher.
“As donation scandals across Canada show clearly, the only way to stop the unethical, undemocratic influence of money in Ontario politics is to stop big money donations by allowing only individuals to donate or loan only $100 a year,” said Conacher.
– 30 –
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Cell: 416-546-3443
Email: [email protected]
Democracy Watch’s Money in Politics Campaign