Thread by @CBCQueensPark

BREAKING: The Ford government is proposing changes to Ontario's election laws: doubling annual donation limit, reviving taxpayer subsidy to parties, tightening rules for interest groups like unions & @ontarioisproud. Next election: June 2, 2022. #onpoli
cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

@ontarioisproud Doubling the maximum each person can donate annually would likely benefit the @OntarioPCParty the most, as the PCs have far more individual donors who've given at/near the $1,650 annual limit than the other parties. #onpoli

@ontarioisproud @OntarioPCParty Doug Ford promised to scrap the taxpayer-funded per-vote allowance to political parties. It was due to expire this year. Instead, Ford's government is actually increasing the yearly subsidies:
@OntarioPCParty $5.92 M
@OntarioNDP $4.91 M
@OntLiberal $2.86 M
@OntarioGreens $673,000

@ontarioisproud @OntarioPCParty @OntarioNDP @OntLiberal @OntarioGreens The bill would also stretch the $600,000 advertising spending limit on each non-party interest group (such as @OntarioisProud or @WFOntario) over one year leading up to the election. (Previously the spending limit only applied for the six-month pre-campaign period.) #onpoli

@ontarioisproud @OntarioPCParty @OntarioNDP @OntLiberal @OntarioGreens @WFOntario On breaking Ford's promise to scrap the per-vote subsidy to the political parties, the govt news release says the decision is "due to the financial impact of COVID-19." However, 2020 didn't actually see an across-the-board drop in donations to all parties
cbc.ca/news/canada/to…

@ontarioisproud @OntarioPCParty @OntarioNDP @OntLiberal @OntarioGreens @WFOntario In 2018, Doug Ford promised to scrap the per-vote allowance that spreads about $13M/year among Ontario's four main political parties (according to their proportion of votes in the last election.) He called it "political welfare." #onpoli
facebook.com/FordNationDoug…

There's also a new ban on various forms of "collusion" among "third parties" (non-party organizations) or between 3rd parties & political parties. Seems this would stop, say, teachers' unions from joining together in a campaign that exceeds the $637,000 spending limit. #onpoli

Within hours of the govt tabling this bill, the @OntarioPCParty sends out a fundraising email:
“Left-leaning third-parties are organizing,” says PC Ontario Fund president Tony Miele. “Mark my words, we will see the largest barrage of negative attack ads in a generation.” #onpoli