TORONTO -- Premier Kathleen Wynne is moving to defuse the controversy over Ontario's political fundraising rules, promising legislation this spring to reform the rules.
The Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats used Monday's entire question period to attack the Liberals for holding expensive and exclusive fundraising dinners and receptions for lobbyists.
PC Leader Patrick Brown says giving Liberal cabinet ministers fundraising quotas forces them to raise money from lobbyists and groups with active files in their ministries.
Wynne responded by saying the promise she made last week to introduce changes to the fundraising rules this fall will be moved up to the spring.
She told the legislature that Ontario will follow the federal lead and ban corporate and union donations to political parties.
Wynne also agreed to meet this week with the two opposition party leaders to talk about the proposed changes to fundraising rules.
"I think everyone in this legislature agrees there is a need to raise money in order to run campaigns," she said. "My experience with fundraising is that many of the people who give money to one party actually give money to all parties."
