QUEBEC - The Quebec government, beset by ethics scandals, has announced changes to political fundraising in the province.
It plans to reduce by two-thirds -- to just $1,000 -- the maximum donation people can make to political parties.
That change will be added to an existing bill, one of several new anti-corruption measures from the government.
Premier Jean Charest says he has assigned 500 people to fighting corruption, partly through new laws that regulate the construction industry and public contracting.
He has also called a police probe.
But one thing he has not done is call an inquiry; public anger over his refusal prompted the opposition this week to table a non-confidence motion that nearly toppled his government.
In the 1970s, Quebec became the first province to ban corporate donations to political parties and set the limit for personal donations at the existing $3,000.
Successive federal governments have moved in the direction of that approach and, in 2006, the Harper government also banned corporate donations while setting the personal limit at $1,000.
