A Liberal lawmaker is asking Canada’s election watchdog to determine whether the Conservative Party benefited from the alleged financial misconduct that led to Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the leadership race.
The Conservative Leadership Elections Organizing Committee (LEOC) threw Brown out of the race late on Tuesday, citing “serious allegations of wrongdoing” related to funding rules. Brown has denied the allegations and said he plans to appeal the decision.
The Conservative Party has already referred the allegations against Brown to the interim Canada Elections Commissioner, the independent body tasked with ensuring that the rules of the Canada Elections Act are followed and enforced.
Ontario Liberal MP Adam van Coverden wrote to interim Elections Canada commissioner Mark Chenier on Thursday asking him to investigate whether the party could benefit from Brown’s alleged wrongdoing.
“Any investigation should not be limited to an individual leadership contestant, but should follow the money if there is potential benefit to the party as a whole,” van Koeverden wrote in his letter.
Van Koeverden said the Conservatives were able to benefit from “cash windfalls” from membership fees paid through Brown’s campaign and Brown’s leadership contributions.
According to sources who spoke to CBC News, at least one corporation allegedly paid one of Brown’s campaign workers. The sources said the LEOC’s decision to disqualify Brown was based on more than just verbal allegations and cited documents and financial records.
Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden stands up during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 3. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
In his letter, van Koeverden also asked the commissioner to examine whether the services provided to Brown’s campaign “further the political interests of the Conservative Party, but [were] paid by third parties.”
Brown told CBC’s Power & Politics on Wednesday that while he had been presented with allegations that a member of his campaign was being paid by a private company, he had not been given details that would allow his team to conduct its own investigation or to properly answer the charges.
In response to van Koeverden’s letter, Brown campaign spokesman Chisholm Pothier reiterated Brown’s claim that the campaign was not provided with sufficient evidence for the allegations.
“It appears the Liberals are following the CPC tactic of using Elections Canada to make unsubstantiated claims appear serious,” Potier said in an email.
The European Commissioner’s Office confirmed receipt of both the Conservative Party’s allegations against Brown and Van Koeverden’s request to extend the investigation to the party.
LEOC communications director Jaroslav Baran declined to comment on van Koeverden’s letter. The CBC has also sought comment from the Conservative Party, but has yet to hear back.
WATCH: Charest on the state of the Conservative leadership race
Charest on the state of the Conservative leadership race
Does Conservative leader candidate Jean Charest think the party kicking colleague Patrick Brown out of the race is damaging Tory credibility?
Add Comment