Provincial NDP leader Adrian Dix has promised a ban on union and corporate donations if he's elected in a month, something BC Conservative leader John Cummins says has been his idea all along.

The influence of large private donations is hurting democracy and is causing the public to lose faith in politicians, Dix told media and supporters at a Vancouver community on Sunday.

"The influence of big money continues to hurt our democracy," Dix said.

"Returning individual citizens to the centre of our political process is at the core of efforts to restore faith that those we elect are acting in the broader public interest," he added.

Donations should come from individuals only, Dix said, and his proposed change would take effect in January if the NDP wins the May 14 election.

The NDP leader also promised to create a legislative committee in the fall, made up of representatives of all the political parties, that would examine donations and make recommendations to make the process more transparent.

The committee would also include elected independents, he said, as well as representation from any party that received at least five per cent of the popular vote but failed to win a seat in Victoria.

Dix said he hopes the changes will lead to greater transparency in the financing of political parties and government books.

BC Conservative leader John Cummins released his own statement after Dix's announcement. He said he proposed a similar donation ban more than two years ago, when he first agreed to run as the party's leadership candidate.

"I have long believed that special interests, insiders and cronies have had too much influence in politics," Cummins statement said.

"It's better late than never for Adrian Dix and the NDP to come round to our point of view," he added.

"We hope that it is only a matter of time before they agree with us on getting spending under control and cutting taxes as well."

Rebekah Funk reports for the Canadian Press.