Kathleen Wynne to table political fundraising reform legislation this spring

Premier Kathleen Wynne is moving to defuse the controversy over Ontario's political fundraising rules, promising legislation this spring to reform the rules.

• Why Ontario's political fundraising rules won't likely change soon

• Wynne agrees to meet opposition leaders on fundraising reform

• Ontario NDP wants a say in how Liberals change political fundraising rules

The Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats usedMonday'sentire question period to attack the Liberals for holding expensiveand exclusive fundraising dinners and receptions for lobbyists.

PC Leader Patrick Brown says giving Liberal cabinet ministersfundraising quotas forces them to raise money from lobbyists andgroups with active files in their ministries.

Wynne responded by saying the promise she made last week tointroduce changes to the fundraising rules this fall will be movedup to the spring.

She told the legislature that Ontario will follow the federallead and ban corporate and union donations to political parties.

Wynne also agreed to meet this week with the two opposition partyleaders to talk about the proposed changes to fundraising rules.

"I think everyone in this legislature agrees there is a need toraise money in order to run campaigns," she said. "My experiencewith fundraising is that many of the people who give money to oneparty actually give money to all parties."