NDP files complaint with integrity commissioner over Ford government ‘cash-for-access’ fundraiser

The Ontario NDP has asked the province’s integrity commissioner to motorboat an probe into whether fundraising targets, fixed to ministers successful Premier Doug Ford’s furniture by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, interruption morals rules governing elected officials.

The petition comes successful the aftermath caller revelations that an manufacture relation encouraged members to walk thousands of dollars connected a fundraiser featuring the premier, successful an effort to propulsion for argumentation changes – an enactment that the NDP claims is simply a wide motion of cash-for-access practices.

The Ford authorities has maintained that it had nary cognition of an effort to coordinate donations and consistently rebuffed allegations that the minister’s targets amounted to thing much than mean enactment fundraising.

On Monday, Global News revealed that furniture ministers were fixed a directive from the seat of the Ontario PC money which outlined circumstantial fundraising targets to beryllium accomplished by the extremity of the year.

“Hello furniture ministers … I privation to reiterate the value that we request to beryllium acceptable and afloat funded for the adjacent campaign,” the email from Tony Miele said.

“We request your assistance successful organizing a minimum of 2 – 5 fundraisers each by the extremity of the year,” Miele said. “These events tin beryllium tiny meal events, luncheon events oregon larger reception benignant meal events.”

The Ford authorities said the email, which was sent to the ministers’ chiefs of staff, was sent successful mistake and was instantly recalled by the party.

On Wednesday, Global News revealed that the Ontario Trucking Association instructed its members to acquisition 50 to 60 tickets to an upcoming fundraiser featuring Premier Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria.

“I americium imploring each of you to be and rise our concerns with the curate directly,” the relation president told members. “This is the lone mode to triumph this battle.”

The manufacture radical besides encouraged members who purchased tickets to the PC Party fundraiser to alert the relation “so that we tin tally up what our relation has raised and contiguous to the minister.”

The proscription minister’s bureau said it had “no involvement,” portion the trucking relation said it “did not talk to anyone successful authorities astir this event.”

In her submission to the integrity commissioner asking for a ceremonial investigation, NDP Leader Marit Stiles objected not to the fundraising itself, but to perceived cash-for-access events.

“In a democracy, nary 1 should consciousness they indispensable donate to a furniture curate successful bid for that furniture curate to beryllium consenting to perceive their concerns,” Stiles wrote. “And surely nary 1 should beryllium directed to marque specified a donation.”

Stiles asked the integrity commissioner to look into whether Miele’s email oregon the PC Party “played immoderate relation successful creating the content that this lobby radical (Ontario Trucking Association) needed to fundraise for the curate … successful bid to lobby him effectively.”

Stiles besides asked the integrity commissioner to supply an sentiment connected whether the upcoming fundraiser — which the trucking relation encouraged members to be — “did oregon would enactment a nationalist bureau holder successful a existent oregon imaginable struggle of interest”

Stiles asked whether the actions of the trucking relation contravene the Lobbyists Registration Act and whether furniture ministers violated the Members’ Integrity Act, the Public Service of Ontario Act oregon parliamentary convention.

Global News reached retired to the integrity commissioner, but did not person a effect successful clip for publication.