Manitoba PCs say invoice from intimacy coach was actually for a car rental

Concerns are being raised over a questionable PC campaign expense, after an invoice for a car rental was submitted by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching.

It’s prompted the Manitoba NDP to call for an investigation into the Progressive Conservatives’ campaign expenses.

“We need answers,” Manitoba Finance Minister Adriene Sala said Monday. “The PC Party of Manitoba signed off on invoices that at this point appear to be in violation of the law of election financing law.”

This came after The Winnipeg Sun uncovered an invoice sent to the PC Party during the 2023 election campaign. The description of services on the $3,800 invoice lists a car rental, but was sent by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching services.

Sala took the PCs to task over the invoice in the legislature on Monday, calling for an investigation by the elections commissioner.

“Look, what we know is that an invoice was submitted that appears to have been falsified and yet still approved. They need to be accountable for that,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Interim PC Party Leader Wayne Ewasko said the car rental was legitimate.

“It’s just that the owner of the company apparently has a few companies,” he said.

Ewasko said the owner submitted the invoice with the wrong letterhead, and a corrected invoice was sent later. CTV News was sent a copy of the corrected invoice, which only lists the owner’s name. It does not list any address, website or contact information for the car rental company.

CTV News has reached out to the owner of the company listed on both the original and corrected invoice.

Ewasko said as far as he knows, no intimacy services were acquired by the PC Party.

He said the party is reviewing its expenses and invoices from the election and will cooperate with any investigation by the commissioner.

“It's taxpayer dollars, it's donor dollars, it's members’ dollars. So we have to be, again, accountable and transparent with what we're doing during the elections or by-elections,” he said.

The PC Party has not responded to CTV’s request for an interview with the party president.

Manitoba Elections Commissioner Bill Bowles told CTV News he isn’t able to comment on the situation. He confirmed if an investigation were to be initiated, generally, the results would be made public.