Fedeli calls for transparency from Sousa on political fundraising

QUEEN’S PARK – Vic Fedeli, Nipissing MPP and Ontario PC Finance Critic, called on Finance Minister Charles Sousa today to disclose what influence hefty political donations may have had on decisions made by him and his office.

“Speaker, has a stakeholder with active files before this Minister, been asked by the Minister, a member of his staff, or a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, to raise funds for this Minister or the Ontario Liberal Party, in order to obtain a meeting, an approval, or policy change?” Fedeli asked during Question Period.

Last week, media reports suggested Sousa is held to a secret annual fundraising target of $500,000 for the Ontario Liberal Party.  A report Friday from the Canadian Press stated Premier Wynne confirmed the existence of such fundraising quotas.

Fedeli is voicing support for Opposition Leader Patrick Brown’s call for an all-party select committee to examine and recommend changes to the rules governing political fundraising and third-party advertising in Ontario.

“We are hearing daily from Ontarians who are concerned about the apparent influence of political fundraising on the business of government,” said Fedeli, who noted that both Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer and the Ontario PC Caucus have long-demanded changes to third party election advertising.

“Despite this, we’ve seen the Premier make and break promises on this issue, so her recent comments suggesting she plans to introduce reforms do not carry much weight with the people of Ontario,” added Fedeli.

“Real movement on these reforms has been delayed for far too long.”

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/jGJGU6h1_JA