Ontario PCs Bring Forward Bill to Ban Working Families from

NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington – Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2011

Ontario PCs Bring Forward Bill to Ban Working Families from
Colluding with the Ontario Liberal Party

NEWS:

(Queen’s Park) – Today Ontario PC MPPs Ted Arnott, Lisa MacLeod and Steve Clark highlighted
Ted Arnott’s Private Members Bill which would ban collusion between political parties and third
parties in Ontario election campaigns. The Banning Collusion in Electoral Advertising Act was
introduced to ensure political parties are not allowed to circumvent election spending limits by
colluding with a third party.

In the last two Ontario election campaigns, Working Families spent millions attacking the Ontario PC
Party, its Leaders, and its candidates to the direct benefit of Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberal
Party. The Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario has himself called for legislative changes to Ontario’s
third party advertising laws to be considered, noting that Ontario’s election laws do not specifically
ban collusion between political parties and third parties.

While the Liberals and Working Families maintain there are no connections between their two
organizations, when this Bill is debated tomorrow Liberal MPPs will have a chance to put their
money where their mouth is. If there is truly no collusion between the Liberals and Working
Families, then Liberal MPPs will support this legislation.

QUOTES:

“The Ontario PC Caucus is bringing forward a Bill that ensures that there can be no collusion
between third parties and political parties while engaging in third party advertising during the writ
period.”
– Ted Arnott, Ontario PC MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills

“It is time for Dalton McGuinty to put his money where his mouth is. If there is truly no collusion
between the Ontario Liberal Party and Working Families, then Liberal MPPs will support this
legislation.”
– Lisa MacLeod, Ontario PC MPP for Nepean-Carleton

“The activities by the union backed Working Families campaign in recent elections call for Ontario’s
election advertising rules to be strengthened.”
– Steve Clark, Ontario PC MPP for Leeds-Grenville

QUICK FACTS:

• “The fourth public policy area for consideration is, should Ontario adopt stricter registration
and anti-collusion provisions? Under the Election Finances Act, there is no specific provision
that prohibits a third party from co-operating or coordinating its advertising with either a
political party or one of its candidates, provided that the party/candidate is not actually
controlling the third party’s advertising.” (Greg Essensa, Chief Electoral Officer, Select
Committee on Elections, May 7, 2009)
• The Ontario PC Party maintains that at the same time that Don Guy was Dalton McGuinty’s
Campaign Director, he was copied on emails detailing the activities of Working Families
including: “top line” survey results, a draft guide for moderators of focus groups, and both
substantive and cosmetic changes to the WFC advertisements.

• “The third party advertising regime is new to Ontario. The first election under that regime
disclosed a number of rough edges, particularly in circumstances where there is potential for
conflicts of interest/collusion between registered parties and third parties.” [Tory’s Report
Commissioned by Elections Ontario, Page 23]
– 30 –

Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org