Recycling

In its last electoral platform before winning power in 2003, the PC Party under Danny Williams pledged:

The Elections Act limits election campaign contributions and spending, and attempts to promote electoral fairness by allowing candidates to recover part of their campaign expenses from public funds. The intent of the Act is undermined by loopholes that allow political parties to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money before an election is called, as well as unlimited contributions and spending on candidate nominations and leadership contests.

A Progressive Conservative government will take the following actions to close those loopholes:

• Limit political contributions by a person, corporation, or union in any year, including an election year, to a total of $10,000 to a registered political party and a total of $5,000 to one or more district associations of a registered party or one or more candidates in a provincial election in relation to their candidacy, by way of cash, cheque, money order, credit card or goods and services, but excluding the purchase of tickets or passes and donations in kind to fundraising events sponsored by a registered political party or district association of a registered party.
• Legislate contribution and spending limits for Party leadership contests and nominees in Party candidacy races.
• Require full disclosure of contributions and expenditures in party nomination contests and elections.
• Require disclosure of contributions to leadership campaigns as they occur and disclosure of independently audited expenses within three months after the election of a new leader.
• Enact provisions requiring leadership candidates to return unused contributions to their leadership campaigns.

At its first annual convention since losing power in 2015, the PC Party under — Sandy Collins? — contemplated overhauling the campaign finance rules:

The party will also decide whether to adopt positions to limit corporate and union political donations, encourage more trade with the UK, as it exits the European Union, and grow more food locally.