Liberals questioning Ruby Dhalla campaign over $21K in donations
CBC
Liberal leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla is denying any wrongdoing as the party withholds $21,000 in contributions to her campaign.
The funds are being held as the party probes whether 12 of Dhalla's donors surpassed maximum contribution amounts.
"When multiple maximum donations are processed on the same credit card, the party reaches out to those donors directly to confirm that these donations were made on the credit card issued from a joint bank account held in the names of both co-donors," the Liberal Party said in a statement to CBC News.
Under Canadian election law, couples are allowed to make separate donations using the same credit card.
On Tuesday, Elections Canada published the donation data it received from the party over the course of its leadership race so far.
It showed Dhalla trailing the field behind the four other contestants, with $144,880 amassed from 109 contributors.
However, Elections Canada also published a list of 12 donations under a tab called "Statement of Contributions returned to Contributors or Remitted to the Chief Electoral Officer."
Of the 12 names on the list, three pairs share the same last name and postal code. All 12 have $1,750 associated with their names, the maximum amount permissible by law.
In an initial statement, Dhalla's campaign told CBC News it was "unable to collect the funds of $21,000," and that "some additional attestation paperwork is required from the contributors."
The campaign said the party had sent attestation forms to the donors and would be making a decision "upon receipt of the paperwork" whether to release the money to Dhalla's team or refund it to the contributors.
The campaign then said it had provided the Liberals "with all requested information including all necessary documents."
But in a later email responding to further questions from CBC News, the campaign provided multiple explanations for the held donations.
Dhalla spokesperson Jacy Lafontaine said that "six couples donated using the same credit card" and the party did not provide the required attestation forms at the time of donation.
"As a result, an attestation form was [later] sent to the six couples to confirm that each donation was made by an individual," she said.
For the last few years, Lakhanpal Singh has had to work two jobs to make ends meet.
As a former premier of New Brunswick and Canadian ambassador to the United States, Frank McKenna has been through two free trade negotiations and countless tense moments.
Jennifer Turcotte says no one wants to raise kids in a town knowing their backyard, soil and air contain high levels of arsenic.
Canadians who recently travelled to Mexico are calling on local authorities to investigate after dozens of guests got sick at the all-inclusive beachside resort they stayed at.
A group of Saskatchewan drivers say they've been unfairly charged hundreds of dollars in speeding tickets after driving through a poorly marked construction zone.
A number of groups are urging political leaders — and Liberal leadership hopefuls — to make a basic income guarantee a priority.
The Alberta government is working to co-ordinate an in-person meeting with a northern Alberta First Nation to discuss an ambitious plan from celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary to build a massive artificial intelligence data centre.
In online posts that were collectively viewed hundreds of thousands of times, some social media users have claimed that a photo of a Mark Carney campaign event was AI-generated.
As the future of the Windsor-Detroit tunnel bus sits in limbo, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon is urging Windsor city council to keep it going.
Alberta is reviewing new guidance on H5N1 avian influenza vaccines, and who could be prioritized for getting them, as shipments are readied to fan out across the country and concerns about the virus grow.
Election Day is a week away, but those eager to cast their ballots in the provincial election have a few options to get their votes in early.
Public safety made its way into the Ontario election campaign spotlight this week, with several of the province's largest police unions taking the rare step of publicly endorsing PC Leader Doug Ford.
When the time comes for people to look back and study the political yesterdays of Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King, history will give a favourable review, says UPEI political scientist Don Desserud.