The Conservatives will introduce “the toughest accountability and transparency laws in Canadian history” if they’re elected on September 20th.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole unveiled the party’s Anti-Corruption Act on Wednesday, saying the act is designed to tackle ethics, lobbying and transparency.
“Canada’s Conservatives will pass the Anti-Corruption Act to secure accountability for ethical misconduct, including by the Prime Minister,” said O’Toole.
The Conservatives will strengthen the Conflict of Interest Act by “increasing the monetary penalties in the Conflict of Interest Act from a maximum of $500 to a maximum of $50,000.” The fine will consider the severity of the offence as well as the history and net worth of the offender.
“Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau both violated Canada’s ethics laws several times but received no penalty or one that was too far low to deter unethical behaviour,” said O’Toole.
“Canada’s Recovery Plan will punish ethical violations by politicians and clean up the mess in Ottawa,” said O’Toole.
The Code of Conduct for MPs will also be amended, as elected officials will not be able to collect speaking fees.
Under the Conservative plan, organizations such as corporations will now have to register and report their meetings while lobbying. The Conservatives also intend to ban lobbying only on a matter that is the subject of a criminal proceeding.
These changes are in response to the many scandals by the Liberal government such as the Aga Khan Affair, SNC Lavalin and WE Charity scandal.
This is not the first time the Conservative Party has entered an election offering the Canadian public more accountability and transparency. In 2006 the Harper government put forth the Federal Accountability Act in response to the Liberals then Sponsorship scandal of 2006.
