Ontario to scrap fixed election dates, raise donation limit to $5,000 under new bill

TORONTO — Ontario's attorney general is proposing to get rid of fixed election dates in the province, in a set of reforms that would also see the limit for political donations raised to $5,000 and make public funding for political parties permanent.

Doug Downey said the province intends to do away with what he calls "American-style" fixed election dates.

"The proposed reforms will return Ontario to an electoral process that served our province well for nearly a century and a half, prior to the imposition of American-style fixed election dates,” he wrote in a statement Monday.

“With these reforms, governments will be better positioned to respond to changing circumstances and external threats, including by seeking a fresh mandate from the people of Ontario when it’s needed.”

Under the fi