Quebec Premier François Legault gestures as he announces his decision to stop accepting private funding, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Quebec Premier François Legault says his Coalition Avenir Québec party will no longer accept donations, and he is asking the other parties to do the same.
His announcement today comes after several members of his party were accused of soliciting $100 donations from mayors hoping to meet with ministers.
Legault says he won’t have the opposition question his integrity, adding that the decision to forgo private donations will cost his party about $1 million a year.
The CAQ will now be funded solely through government subsidies, which are distributed to parties based on how many votes they received in the last general election.
Legault’s call for other parties to follow his lead advantages the CAQ because it won 41 per cent of the vote in the 2022 election and relies less heavily on donations compared to the Parti Québécois, which is leading in the polls.
Only individuals – not companies or unions – can donate to political parties in Quebec, and those donations are capped at $100 a year, with an extra $100 allowed during elections.
In 2022, the CAQ raised $1.35 million in donations and received almost $6.4 million in government subsidies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
