Court gives indebted Grits a break

[The Islander]

What I find amusing in this debacle is who would ever lend that nutbar.... "they are burning crosses on the lawns of Prince George as I speak", Fry $78,000 for a leadership campaign?!? I hope she defaults on this loan and burns some people who appear to have more money than common sense.

[styky]

What I find amusing in this debacle is who would ever lend that nutbar.... "they are burning crosses on the lawns of Prince George as I speak", Fry $78,000 for a leadership campaign?!? I hope she defaults on this loan and burns some people who appear to have more money than common sense.

What's even more astounding to me is that she has a DR in front of her name.

[styky]

Grit leadership hopefuls still in hock

By CHRISTINA SPENCER, Parliamentary Bureau

Last Updated: May 21, 2010
OTTAWA - More than three years - and two leaders - after the 2006 federal Liberal leadership race, seven candidates are still struggling to pay off debts totalling more than $900,000.

And some say the drawn-out financial battle is the legacy of arduous fundraising rules that came into effect before most of the loans for the contest could be repaid.

A QMI survey of the candidates with outstanding debt shows MP Ken Dryden’s leadership campaign still owes about $271,000. MP Maurizio Bevilacqua owes around $195,000. MPs Joe Volpe and Martha Hall Findlay are in hock for more than $100,000, with Gerard Kennedy and Hedy Fry below the $100,000 mark.

Stephane Dion, the eventual winner of the 2006 leadership contest, has now reduced his debt to about $20,000, money his campaign must pay even though he is no longer party boss.

Michael Ignatieff, the current leader, Bob Rae, Carolyn Bennett and Scott Brison have all paid off their 2006 leadership debts.

“I think there was a sort of collective thud of realization as to how difficult it might be” to fundraise under the new rules, says Maneesh Mehta, financial officer for the Hall Findlay campaign.

The 2006 contest was the first federal party leadership to come under the tougher rules, which kicked in early in 2007 - after the leadership vote but while candidates still had large outstanding debts. The rules limited contributions by individuals to $1,100; until then, the ceiling was $5,500.

“It’s a really vicious circle,” says former MP John Godfrey, who briefly entered the race but withdrew before becoming an official candidate. “Given the construction of rules, it’s turned itself into a kind of Kafkaesque, never-ending nightmare.

“Candidates can’t pay off their own debts even if they have the means. On the other hand, they’re morally responsible for their debts.”

Nicholas Gareri, the official agent for Bevilacqua, says the rules mean candidates quickly tap out their most dedicated followers, who can’t contribute more even if they wish to. “It’s really tough to come across new money,” he said.

In addition, a federal election in 2008 diverted potential supporters from giving, followed by an economic recession.

The Liberal party is trying to co-ordinate fundraising.

Francesco Miele, spokesman for Stephane Dion, wants the former leader’s bills paid by the end of the summer.

Six of the seven candidates have been given an extension by a judge on their original payback deadlines - to June, 2011.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2 ... 41491.html

[styky]

The Case of the Missing Half-Million: A Closer Look at the 2009 Financial Returns

A closer look at the party 2009 financial returns reveals that the Liberal Party over-reported their contributions by $500K across their four quarterly reports in 2009, as compared with their audited year-end return.

The party reported a total of $9,564,676.54 over four quarterly reports in 2009, but reported just $9,060,916.11 in contributions in its year-end report, a difference of some $504K. <a href=http://www.punditsguide.ca/2010/07/the-case-of-the-missing-half-million/>continued</a>

[styky]

Liberal Fundraising Returns to Pre-Convention, Pre-Rossi Levels

Last year's big push to catch up with the Conservatives' money-raising machine has fizzled out for the Liberals, as 2010 second quarter contributions increased slightly over the levels achieved under former leader Stéphane Dion in 2008, but fell to half of last year's thrice-announced second quarter total, after Leader Michael Ignatieff appointed Rocco Rossi the party's National Director and chief fundraiser. Rossi left the position last November to run for Mayor of Toronto.

more - http://www.punditsguide.ca/2010/08/libe ... si-levels/

[styky]

When he says all debts are paid does that also mean the debts of the individuals that ran for the leadership. Where are the journalists and why isn't someone asking this question.



Wednesday, August 4, 2010 8:39 AM
Paltry war chest 'says a lot
about Ignatieff’s leadership'

Jane Taber

1. By the numbers. The national opinion polls are not being generous to Stephen Harper’s Conservatives but contributors are. Over the past three months the Tories raised $4.1-million for their political war chest – aggressively outpacing Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals in their best second-quarter fundraising result since they formed government in 2006.

Mr. Ignatieff and his team attracted $1.6-million from 17,064 Canadians, half the number (34,431) who contributed to Mr. Harper and his team. The Tories, not surprisingly, are gloating, saying this shows Canadians agree with their tough-on-crime and economic agenda.

“It’s a far cry from when the Liberals claimed they would quintuple their revenues from 2008 and raise $25-million a year,” Conservative Party spokesman Fred DeLorey says. “That says a lot about Ignatieff’s leadership.”

Liberal Party president Alfred Apps wouldn’t take the Tory bait. Rather, he said Wednesday morning that the Liberals are “on track and on budget.”

“All debts have been paid off and we are building our war-chest for the campaign, whenever it comes,” he said. “[The party] will have the resources for a fully-funded campaign including advertising.”

And he noted that the so-called Liberal Express – Mr. Ignatieff’s six-week cross-country bus tour – has been fully-funded within their budget.

Elections Canada posted the latest results on its website Tuesday afternoon. They show the Tories continuing to go from strength to strength, also earning $4-million in the first quarter of this year – money that is available to the party, for example, for initiatives such as pre-writ negative ads, which have proved effective against the Liberals.

The NDP raised $747,136.41 from 10,946 contributors compared to $711,269.13 that the party attracted last year in the same quarter; the Green Party raised $262,830.68 and the Bloc raised $80,243.52 (it doesn’t have to concentrate as much on fundraising as it only runs 75 candidates in Quebec and like the other parties receives taxpayer subsidies for every vote cast for the party.)

And what a difference a year makes. Last year for the second quarter, the Liberals out-hustled the Conservatives by a slim margin, earning $4.05-million compared to $3.9-million for the Tories.

The Conservatives have always been consistently good at raising money, running anti-CBC campaigns or those aimed at scrapping the long-gun registry, which have proven effective. A Tory official does not believe for this quarter, however, that there was one particular campaign that “attracted a disproportionate amount of funds compared to the others.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/pol ... le1661336/

[styky]

A reminder of the numbers as of February......

* $395,890 [amount from June 3, 2008; his latest amount outstanding is not listed, as the story says he has been given until next year to pay it off] - Ken DRYDEN - June 30, 2010 deadline, but apparently already deferred to next year by the Chief Electoral Officer
* $193,133 - Maurizio BEVILACQUA
* $152,800 - Joe VOLPE
* $131,361 - Gerard KENNEDY
* $130,260 - Martha HALL FINDLEY
* $78,500 - Hedy FRY
* $40,000 - Stéphane DION
* $0 - Carolyn BENNETT
* $0 - Scott BRISON
* $0 - Michael IGNATIEFF
* $0 - Bob RAE

But hey their Liberal and therefore special allowance is given and they won't have to pay it until the end of December 2011.

It's my opinion that none should be allowed to run in any further elections until and unless their account reads $0

I have a problem with people that cannot manage their own finances trying to run mine and even a bigger problem with the entitled group that feel they are above the law.

I have a problem when Elections Canada has two standards <a href=http://www.bloggingcanadians.ca/ConservativeBlogs/elections-canada-liberals-and-loans/>raids one and rewards the other</a>.

[styky]

Current leadership debt numbers......

http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?sec ... only=false

[styky]

Yes I know this is old news but it still stinks to high heaven and I will not leave it alone. It's like a festering scab that keeps irritating me.


From the Canada Elections Act:

Financial Administration of Leadership Contestants

435.38(3)

The Chief Electoral Officer may not authorize an extension or correction unless he or she is satisfied by the evidence submitted by the applicant that the circumstances giving rise to the application arose by reason of

(a) the illness of the applicant;

(b) the absence, death, illness or misconduct of the financial agent or a predecessor;

(c) the absence, death, illness or misconduct of a clerk or an officer of the financial agent, or a predecessor of one of them; or

(d) inadvertence or an honest mistake of fact.

435.39(3)

A judge may not grant an order unless he or she is satisfied that the circumstances giving rise to the application arose by reason of one of the factors referred to in subsection 435.38(3).

<a href=http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/UpdateNotice/index.html?rp14=%2Feng%2FE-2.01%2Fpage-10.html#anchorbo-ga:l_18-gb:l_3_1>source</a>

[Angleland]

What I find amusing in this debacle is who would ever lend that nutbar.... "they are burning crosses on the lawns of Prince George as I speak", Fry $78,000 for a leadership campaign?!? I hope she defaults on this loan and burns some people who appear to have more money than common sense.

What's even more astounding to me is that she has a DR in front of her name.

Gator Piss U was flogging diplomas for a buck and twenty in her day.

[styky]

What happens if those that are owed money from outstanding loans write them off??????

If these loans are still out standing in 2010 which is what Elections Canada has given them as a "final" date. It will have been 5 years since the loan was made. I know if I were a business it would be in my best interest to write off a 5 year old unpaid loan. I'm no accountant or lawyer so I if someone out there knows please tell me.

[styky]

What happens if those that are owed money from outstanding loans write them off??????

If these loans are still out standing in 2010 which is what Elections Canada has given them as a "final" date. It will have been 5 years since the loan was made. I know if I were a business it would be in my best interest to write off a 5 year old unpaid loan. I'm no accountant or lawyer so I if someone out there knows please tell me.

I guess no one can answer this for then

[styky]

Hmmmm......should those with unpaid leadership debts be able to take another run at without first clearing past debt.......Hmmmmm

[styky]

Current leadership debt numbers......

http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?sec ... only=false

Could it be their finally paid

I'm not sure. Accounting and reading financial sheets was never my forte.

[styky]

Four former Liberal leadership contenders still owe $576000 in ...
‎
Hill Times (subscription) - Tim Naumetz -
Four Liberal MPs who lost the May 2 election still owe a total of $576000 among them in loans for the party's 2006 leadership campaign—and ... <a href=http://www.hilltimes.com/page/view/loans-05-16-2011>continued</a>