Doug Ford’s Ontario PCs Have the Most High-End Big Donors, Donation Records Show

Doug Ford claims he’s “working for workers,” but a new analysis of Ford’s donation records show his party is racking up the most big donations from wealthy donors.

According to a new Democracy Watch report released Monday analyzing donations to Ontario’s provincial political parties between 2021 and 2024, Doug Ford’s Ontario PCs were supported by more high-end donors than any of Ontario’s other political parties. 

The organization’s report shows Doug Ford’s Ontario PCs received 71% of its donations from people who gave $1,000 or more. In contrast, 48% of donations to the Ontario Liberals were from big donors while 28% of donations to the Ontario NDP exceeded $1,000. 

Democracy Watch, a non-profit citizen group co-founded by Duff Conacher in 1993, bills itself as an advocate for government accountability and corporate responsibility.

“Doug Ford’s PC party is a party of the rich,” Conacher told PressProgress. “None of those people are interested in protecting the public interest, they all want their private interest returned for the money they have given to the PC party.”

While Conacher criticizes Ford’s government for receiving the most campaign donations from top donors, he also says it is critical to understand how campaign donations work in Ontario. He calls the current donation system a scandal, and says it effectively functions as “legalized bribery.”

The Ford government increased the annual donation limit for individuals from $1,600 to $3,300 in 2021 with Bill 254. It has increased $25 each year since. 

By contrast, the annual individual donation limit in Quebec is $100 per year. Since it is technically legal for donors and their families to donate at the same time and each individually hit the maximum contribution limit, Conacher said this increased donation limit in Ontario makes it much easier for wealthy people to funnel donations to a political party through fewer proxies. 

“It makes it easier because they can donate the same amount of money with half as many people,” said Conacher.

Conacher points to multiple studies that show that political donations of any size will influence politician’s decision making. The larger the gift, the more influence they will have over the politician. 

“They give them money as a favour and then they expect a favour in return,” Conacher said. “Clinical studies worldwide have shown that even small gifts change the behavior and decisions of the people receiving the gift.”

Conacher said the current political donation system in the province played a part in allowing the Greenbelt scandal to happen. 

“It’s not at all surprising to see Ford try to hand out protected public lands to a bunch of developers where they would reap $8 billion dollars in profit because they paid to play,” Conacher said, accusing developers of using the “donation system along with a corrupt lobbying system to essentially legally bribe the Ford government.”

Going into the election Thursday, Conacher said he expects Doug Ford to cut deals that benefit his friends and donors if he wins again.

“They’re going to get more bad decisions that protect wealthy, private interests, and rich donors from the Ford government if they are re-elected,” Conacher said. “They’ve been bought many times over by those donors in the last few years.” 

Earlier today, Democracy Watch also released a report card on each major provincial party’s election platform. Ford’s Ontario PCs, who only released their platform for this week’s election yesterday, received an ‘F.’ 

Ford’s party also received an F on their governing record since 2018, for reasons ranging from giving favours to friends and employees, to having key decisions swayed by business interests.