Ontario’s attorney general is suggesting eliminating fixed election dates in the province, along with increasing the cap for political contributions to $5,000 and making ongoing public funding for political parties. Doug Downey expressed the intention to remove what he referred to as “American-style” fixed election dates, aiming to reinstate an electoral process that had served the province effectively for nearly 150 years before the adoption of fixed election dates.
The current fixed date regulations, introduced approximately two decades ago by former premier Dalton McGuinty, would have set the next provincial election in 2029. However, governments had the flexibility to call elections earlier, exemplified by Premier Doug Ford’s decision earlier this year to advance the election to February from the fixed June date, citing the need for a new mandate to address tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The proposed legislative changes would also raise the annual donation limit to political parties from $3,400 to $5,000 starting next year, linking future increments to inflation rates. Additionally, the legislation would make the quarterly per-vote subsidy to political parties permanent, following a temporary extension by the Progressive Conservative government until 2027 before this year’s election.
The continuation of the per-vote subsidy aims to maintain a balance between public and private election expenditures, as initially introduced by the former Liberal government led by Kathleen Wynne to counteract the ban on corporate and union donations and reduced individual contribution limits due to a cash-for-access controversy.
The subsidy provides parties with $2.54 per vote annually, with the Progressive Conservatives projected to receive $5.5 million, the Liberals $3.8 million, the NDP $2.4 million, and the Greens around $616,000 based on the 2025 election results. Downey also plans to eliminate pre-election spending restrictions for third parties, which were implemented to regulate advertising by groups like unions before fixed-date election periods.
In response to the proposals, Liberal parliamentary leader John Fraser criticized Ford’s focus, highlighting pressing issues such as unemployment, food insecurity, and healthcare challenges. Meanwhile, NDP Leader Marit Stiles voiced concerns about the government’s preference for big donors and insiders over the residents of Ontario, emphasizing that increasing donation limits exacerbates the situation.
Downey further mentioned that the reforms would introduce new penalties for violations of the Election Finances Act, although specifics on the penalties were not disclosed.