In what has become an almost daily occurrence in Alberta, new revelations come out about the Progressive Conservatives and illegal donations.
Since 2007, the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta has sent at least 16 explicit invites to their Premier’s Dinner fundraisers to groups prohibited by law from attending, the Wildrose Caucus revealed today. “Please join us in our evening of appreciation knowing that your support and the support of others will contribute to a strong provincial PC party,” reads a letter sent from PC Alberta to Thorhild County, inviting them to attend the Premier’s Dinner held on Aug. 24, 2011. Many more examples can be found at link.
According to Section 34(1)(2) of the Election Finances and Contributions Distribution Act, it is illegal for political parties to solicit money from groups such as municipalities, school districts and post-secondary schools.
So far the standard PC spin has been that it is not their fault and decided that blaming the victims rather than taking any responsibility was the way to deal with this mess. Essentially saying that municipalities and prohibited groups such as schools are the ones in error because they gave the PC's the money, no matter that the PCs happily cashed those cheques and have yet to return any of the money (using this money would also be against the law), but considering that the PCs have been actively soliciting municipalities and other prohibited groups makes their desperate attempts at spin all the more laughable.
Speaking of laughable:
Redford: "and we are going to have no part in any kind of practice or procedure that would suggest that that was acceptable." (remember that the newest of these allegations involve a dinner for Premier Redford)
The problem appears to be systemic:
http://thealbertaardvark.blogspot.com/2012/01/it-keeps-getting-worse-pcs-accepted-15k.html
http://thealbertaardvark.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-firday-time-for-another-illegal.html
And making matter worse is the fact that the PCs are not only blaming the victims but are hiding behind Alberta election laws (which they conveniently wrote) that keeps these investigations and findings private, out of the public view.
The PCAA has to go, Albertans deserve better than this.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
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5 comments:
I'm not a fan of Redford, but this sounds like a form invitation letter to me. Is there proof of financial donations made illegaly?
Attending a dinner and paying for tickets to said dinners should not be considered "donating"!
Happens in Ontario all the time and why shouldn't municipal authorities be allowed to attend in an official capacity?
Seems like a petty complaint to me.
Sorry but tickets to partisan dinners ARE considered donations by law and should be as these dinners are 100% partisan in nature and are a major source of fundraising.Your point about municipal authorities being there in their official capacities would make sense if it were for a gov't event but these dinners have nothing to do with gov't and are purely partisan events.
As for the invitation, you are correct it does read like a form invite but the problem is not the invite itself, it is that these were sent out by the PC Party to groups that are NOT allowed to make contributions. They were actively soliciting people and groups who are not allowed to make donations.
As to proof of illegal donations there are many many examples that can be found here in the blog, from Universities, municipal councilors, to banks being solicited even AFTER the banks told the PCs that they were not allowed to donate.
Soliciting and accepting illegal donations is not a petty complaint, it is illegal.
All good points and further, what right to officials from municipalities have using tax dollars to attend fundraising events anyway? If they are there on their own dime and private citizen, that's a completely different thing but this is just so wrong on every level.
Let's hope the PC's are hammered on this arrogant cheating.
The blatant and open way in which the party apparatchiks conducted this sort of low level corruption is a tell tale sign of how truly corrupt they are.
The further you go up the PC Party hierarchy the worst it gets.
The good news is that the wheels are starting to fall off the PC bus and the more we learn about their dark ways, more of the truth is going to emerge.
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