The following list of examples from the federal level in Canada, and various provinces and cities, show clearly that banning corporate and union donations, but still allowing a relatively high donation limit, is a sham that doesn’t stop big money in politics.
Every jurisdiction where donations by individuals of $500 and up are allowed and an analysis has been completed has found that funneling of money has likely happened. In fact, such systems actually hide big money as they make it more difficult to connect donations to businesses, unions and other organizations.
Donation systems that allow for big money donations essentially legalize bribery. Click here to see how studies worldwide show that giving even small gifts influence decision-makers.
The only way to stop big money in politics is to stop big money donations by limiting donations to no more than $100 annually (as in Quebec), with strict enforcement and high penalties. Join the call for these changes now by clicking here.
- In Alberta in 2026, it was revealed that during the first half of 2025, the separatist Republican Party of Alberta received $190,000 in donations from fewer than 50 people, with more than half of them donating $5,000 (the maximum annual amount allowed in the province), in what appears to be a coordinated donation scheme (which raises questions about whether a business, lobby group or an individual (or a few individuals) funnelled the donations to the party through the other donors.
- At the federal level in April 2025, it was revealed that Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Party leader Mark Carney both attended fundraising events hosted in private homes that cost $1,750 to attend, with lobbyists and big business executives in attendance.
- At the federal level in February 2025, it was revealed that Liberal Party leadership contestants were receiving large donations from wealthy big business executives.
- In Ontario in February 2025, it was revealed that from 2021-2024 the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party received on average 71% of its total donations from donors who each donated $1,000 or more, and those donors (including lobbyists) are 48% of its total number of donors, and other Ontario parties also received a large percentage of their donations from a relatively small percentage of their big donors.
- In Ontario in November 2024, it was revealed that the Ontario Trucking Association had asked its members each to buy 50 to 60 tickets to a fundraising event for the Progressive Conservative Party and Doug Ford in order to influence the Ford government’s decisions about trucking issues.
- In Toronto in September 2024, it was revealed that a city councillor had received 11% of his total donations from top donors connected to one property development company.
- In May 2024, it was revealed that federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre had held about 50 exclusive, top donation fundraising events in private homes and clubs since he became leader in September 2022.
- In May 2024, it was revealed that the families of behind the largest grocery store chains have donated more than $150,000 to the federal Liberal and Conservative parties.
- At the federal level in February 2024, it was revealed that only only 11,000 voters out of Canada’s total of more than 27 million voters (5%) donate more than $1,000 annually to federal parties, while 75% donate only $75, and on average the donors who donate $1,000 or more each contribute 30% of the total raised by the main parties each year (especially to the Liberals and Conservatives).
- At the federal level in November 2023, the Network 100 group of Muslim donors, which claims it has 400 members, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau saying that they were stopping their top-level donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the federal Liberal Party because Trudeau was not calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- In Ontario in 2022, it was revealed that executives at nine of the property development companies who benefitted most from Premier Ford’s decision to open up the Greenbelt lands to development had donated thousands of dollars to Ford’s PC Party.
- Also in Ontario, in 2021 a vaccine clinic company’s executives and their family members all donated the maximum annual amount of $3,300 to Premier Ford’s PC Party, and the Ford government gave the company a contract to deliver vaccines.
- Also in Ontario, in 2020 it was revealed that many long-term care industry lobbyists are donors to the Ford PC Party government, and in 2019 it was revealed that Premier Doug Ford was promoting four companies whose executives had donated to Ford’s PC Party.
- Also in Ontario, lobbyists sold tickets for Premier Ford’s Feb. 2019 fundraising dinner and in April several Ford Cabinet ministers held high-priced, exclusive fundraising events across the province, in 2016, executives at a bank involved in bidding on a government contract organized a fundraising event for the ruling party that was attended by Liberal Cabinet ministers.
- An analysis in spring 2019 found that the Trudeau Liberals have received almost $1.5 million in donations from staff, executives and lobbyists at more than 110 companies, law and accounting firms and interest groups since 2015.
- In 2015 and 2016, donors from B.C., some of whom were formerly connected to China’s government, donated large amounts to a riding in Ontario and to Prime Minister Trudeau’s riding in Quebec.
- As finally revealed in spring 2019, SNC-Lavalin Inc. illegally funneled almost $118,000 to the federal Liberal and Conservative parties, riding associations and candidates through its executives and employees from 2004 to 2011, with CBC revealing the list of donors in April 2019.
- As finally revealed in spring 2020, Norda Stelco Inc. illegally funneled more than $25,000 to the federal Conservative Party and its candidates, and more than $20,000 to the federal Liberal Party and its candidates, from 2004 to 2011.
- As the Globe and Mail revealed, lobbyists attended approximately 90 high-priced, exclusive events the Liberals held from January to October 2016, and another 72 events held since April 2017.
- The Liberals also offered special access to top party politicians and officials to “bundler” fundraisers in 2016.
- Clearwater Seafoods lobbies the federal government, and board member Mickey MacDonald held a fundraising event in August 2014 that raised about $80,000 for the Liberal Party, an event Justin Trudeau attended.
- Apotex Inc. lobbied the federal government at the time its then-Chair Barry Sherman held a fundraising event in August 2015 that raised about $150,000 for the Liberal Party, an event Justin Trudeau also attended.
- An analysis in 2012 found that several construction company executives linked to Quebec’s political donation scandal donated large amounts to a federal Conservative Party riding in Quebec.
- An Elections Quebec audit found $12.8 million in likely illegally funneled donations from 2006-2011 (see also article in the Globe and Mail), and the Charbonneau Commission inquiry into the construction industry donation scandal heard of many donation-funneling schemes (before Quebec limited donations to $100 a year in 2013).
- An April 2019 CBC analysis found New Brunswick company executives and their families now donating the maximum after the province banned corporate and union donations.
- A 2019 analysis of donations to candidates in Ottawa’s city council elections found some property developers claiming donations were made by their wives in order to avoid prosecution, and another analysis of Ottawa donations released May 2020 found that 58% of donations to councillors on the city’s Planning Committee came from people associated with the property development industry, and that 11 of 24 councillors received more 50% of their donations from people associated with the property development industry.
- During the fall 2022 Vancouver election, it was revealed that the mayor’s party had a list of 40 property developers and businesspeople each tasked with raising money from others (known as “bundlers” because they bundle donations together), 15 of which the mayor had phone calls with during August.
- A fall 2019 analysis of donations to Vancouver candidates and parties found employees of a major real estate and hotel company’s employees suddenly donating to right and left politicians.
- In B.C. in 2017, provincial parties returned more than $260,000 in donations that had been funneled through lobbyists for companies, and people affiliated with unions.
- When Elections Alberta did an audit in 2012 it found dozens of illegal donations. As well, in a 2013 scandal in Alberta, a coalition of construction companies made it clear that their big money donations were conditional on the Alberta government changing the labour law.
- Donations from corporations, unions and other organizations were banned in Toronto elections in 2009, and individual donations limited to $750 annually, but a 2016 analysis by the Toronto Star found that big business and other special interest group executives and their families continue to give large amounts to city councillors.
Join the call for low political donation limits and other key changes that actually stop big money in politics – click here to send your letter now to your politicians at the federal and provincial level.