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In response to growing public pressure to clean up the political process, the Quebec government has introduced changes to the province's Election Act aimed at eliminating influence peddling and ending covert financing of political parties by companies.

The bill also proposes to revamp the electoral map to give the Inuit in the Northern Quebec territory of Nunavik a permanent seat in the National Assembly.

The bill comes as public confidence in elected officials has been dwindling over Premier Jean Charest's refusal to hold a public inquiry into allegations of collusion and corruption in construction contracts for municipal and provincial infrastructure projects.

“The objective is to improve the system, to close the gaps. Because as we have seen in the past few months, there are a lot of gaps,” said Claude Béchard, the minister responsible for electoral reform.

The bill would impose stiff fines for influence peddling. Those found guilty would be barred from obtaining a government contract for five years. An individual will face up to a $10,000 fine and legal entities such as companies and unions $20,000.

Companies or other legal entities are already banned from making political contributions, and individuals can contribute up to a yearly maximum of $3,000 per political party.

Companies have circumvented the ban by getting employees to make the maximum contribution to a political party and reimbursing them. The new law would make it illegal for anyone to incite someone to make a political contribution through “threats, coercion or by promising compensation, consideration or a reimbursement.”

It would ban anonymous donations, which make up about 20 per cent of municipal party funding.

The government also proposes to increase the annual public allowance allotted to provincial parties to $0.82 per vote received during an election from $0.50. The move will cost taxpayers about $4.7-million a year.

The conditions governing financial contributions and expenses for political parties would also apply to leadership races. However, individual parties could still set spending limits for each leadership candidate.

The more radical changes to the election law would redraw the province's electoral map.

The changes would make the territory of Nunavik, most of the lands north of the 55th parallel, a riding. This would effectively give the province's Inuit their own seat in the National Assembly. Nunavik, along with the ridings of Ungava and Îles-de-la-Madeleine, would remain unchanged no matter what their population density.

Each of the province's administrative regions would be allotted a minimum number of ridings. That means the National Assembly, which is currently made up of 125 seats, would have a minimum of 126.

Based on population fluctuations, the province's Chief Electoral Officer could add seats. Mr. Béchard estimates that the electoral map could include as many as 132 ridings, but the opposition parties, who oppose the changes, believe the number could be as high as 150.

“We want this bill split in two,” said the Parti Québécois House leader Stéphane Bédard. “It is totally inadmissible to talk about something as important as representation…and present it in a bill where we also talk about party financing, which is also important but is included rather thoughtlessly as part of changes considered to be at the heart of our democracy.”

Amir Khadir, leader of Quebec Solidaire party, expressed resentment at the government's refusal to examine proportional representation as part of the reform. Mr. Khadir said the bill does nothing to build public confidence in the political system.

“Public confidence has been seriously shaken by the scandal over the lack of ethical rules, the covert financing of political parties and all the scandals involving the allocation of public contracts,” Mr. Khadir said during a news conference. “We need to take our time and be above partisan politics and seek a real consensus.”

Mr. Béchard said he expects the bill to be adopted by next spring to allow the time for public consultations and for the changes to be in place for the next election expected, in 2012 or 2013.

The chief electoral officer just completed months of public hearings on changes to the current electoral map that would have eliminated three rural ridings, including Mr. Béchard's eastern Quebec riding of Kamouraska-Temiscouata. But the government blocked the report claiming that an overhaul of electoral system was needed first.