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TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls a fixed election date rule his government is proposing to get rid of “a fake law.”
Attorney General Doug Downey announced Monday that the government intends to scrap fixed election dates, calling them “American style.”
He is also proposing to raise the limit for political donations to $5,000 and make public funding for political parties permanent.
Under the fixed date rules, enacted about 20 years ago by then-premier Dalton McGuinty, the next provincial vote would have taken place in 2029. But Ford said Tuesday that the Liberals introduced a “fake law” and Ontario should not have to continue following it.
“As far as I was concerned, this is a fake law put in by the Liberal government,” he said.
“Just because the Liberals, the last government, that messed up our province decided to do this doesn’t mean it has to be done just because they put it in.”
There would still be a constitutional maximum of five years between elections and Ford said he will call the next election when it is appropriate, which may be after three, four or five years.
Even with elections on the calendar four years apart, governments were free to call elections sooner, as Ford did earlier this year when he triggered a vote in February — earlier than the June fixed date — by saying he needed a new mandate to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she is concerned that removing fixed election dates is Ford trying to “extend his stay in power for as long as possible,” but is most concerned about the increases to donation limits.
The upcoming legislative changes would increase the annual amount a person can donate to a political party from $3,400 to $5,000 starting next year and would tie future increases to the rate of inflation.
Stiles pointed to media reports that some beneficiaries of the Skills Development Fund – criticized by the auditor general as not fair, transparent or accountable – are people who have donated to the Progressive Conservative party and suggested higher donation amounts will perpetuate a “pay to play” culture.
“What the premier is doing is providing more opportunities for friends and insiders and the wealthiest people to donate to his party, to influence his decisions,” she said.
“What this government has basically done with these changes is they’re slapping up a big For Sale sign on democracy in the province of Ontario.”
The Tories have denied that there is any connection between recipients of the fund and their political donations.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner also said he worries about who will benefit from increased donation limits, because most Ontarians cannot spare $5,000 to give to a political party.
“This is a government that’s about benefiting wealthy, well-connected insiders, not everyday people,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2025.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
