Shelly Glover rejects accusation of improper fundraising for Tory leadership battle
Another clash has erupted in the battle over the leadership of Manitoba's governing Progressive Conservatives.
A longtime party member has filed a complaint with the provincial elections commissioner, alleging that losing candidate Shelly Glover is not following financing rules in her legal challenge of the result that saw Heather Stefanson take over as Tory leader and premier.
Glover denies the accusation, which she calls "fiction," and says she acted on advice from Elections Manitoba.
Glover lost the leadership vote in a close race, garnering 49 per cent of the vote to Stefanson's 51 per cent on Oct. 30. She is asking the Court of Queen's Bench to toss out the results and order a new vote, alleging there were irregularities in the way the ballots were counted and kept secure.
Glover launched an online fundraising effort to help pay for her legal challenge, and has so far raised close to $42,000.
Darren Penner, a party member who at one time supported Glover's campaign, alleges the online fundraising effort is not following some of the rules for leadership contests, such as a $3,000 limit on donations and a requirement that money only be taken from Manitoba residents. The online fundraiser lists many anonymous donations and at least one donation of $5,000.
Penner points out the leadership contest period under elections law continues to run for two months after the race is decided.
He also alleges that, alternatively, if the fundraising for the legal challenge is not deemed part of the leadership contest, Glover should not be allowed to use the logos or list of supporters from her campaign.
"If the (online fundraising) is not related to the campaign, then the campaign logos and supporter list cannot be used to solicit donations, as they are property of the campaign, not Shelly Glover personally," Penner wrote in his letter.
Glover said Monday she had not received a copy of Penner's letter. She said both grounds for the complaint are baseless. She sought advice from Elections Manitoba before launching the online fundraiser, she said.
"I wanted to get those answers, to make sure I am following the rules," Glover said.
Glover provided a Nov. 18 letter from Debbie MacKenzie, the deputy chief electoral officer at Elections Manitoba. The letter says based on the information the agency had available at the time, funds raised after a leadership race for a legal challenge would not be considered donations or contributions under the Election Financing Act, and would therefore not be subject to the law's limits.
Glover also said there is no rule against continuing to use the logo from her leadership campaign. She said the email list she is using to solicit donations for her legal challenge is not from her campaign, but a compilation of people who have supported her since she entered politics over a decade ago.
Elections commissioner Bill Bowles would not comment on the complaint Monday. He does not publicly comment on complaints or investigations as a rule.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.