Only two of the Liberal leadership candidates,Mark Carney and Ruby Dhalla,told Elections Canada about their fundraising events. According to a political transparency advocate,this highlights a “loophole” in the laws governing political campaign funding that needs to be closed because some of the candidates hosted fundraisers without telling anyone about them or revealing who attended.
During the two-month race, Carney told Elections Canada about eight fundraisers,while Dhalla, who was later removed from the race by the party,disclosed one. However,Chrystia Freeland,who hosted multiple fundraiser events during the race,as well as candidates Frank Baylis and Karina Gould, did not include any information on the public disclosure list.
However,candidates Frank Baylis and Karina Gould, as well as Chrystia Freeland,who hosted multiple fundraiser events during the race,failed to include any information in the public disclosure list. Political parties and leadership candidates are required to disclose their fundraisers in advance if they meet certain requirements,such as requiring at least one person to pay more than $200 to attend; if they violate this rule,they must return the money.
A fundraiser Freeland hosted on February 10 in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, listed on Eventbrite, only indicated that the “recommended donation amount” was between $500 and $1,750. “This is a loophole that allows someone to go and lobby (candidates) without it being disclosed,” said Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch.
Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher stated,”This is a loophole that allows someone to go and lobby (candidates) without it being disclosed.”
According to him,the public has a right to know who plans,hosts, and finances fundraising events so that it is possible to track who gives money to politicians. This,he claimed,keeps appearing conflicts of interest from “tainting politicians’ policy-making decisions.”
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other cabinet members participated in expensive,opaque events,the Liberal government approved Bill C-50 in 2018 to implement the standards for fundraising disclosure.
“Tracking fundraising events and who is attending was the main goal of the act,” Conacher stated.
Since the laws were created in this manner,Ottawa-based attorney Scott Thurlow,a specialist in Canadian elections law,said he would not characterize this as a loophole.
Parliament has consciously chosen to do that,he stated. They must list all contributors who pay $200 if one person does.
According to the regulations,parties and candidates must reveal the names of attendees within a month of hosting a fundraiser that qualifies as a regulated event. If notable individuals,such as cabinet ministers,party leaders,or leadership hopefuls,attend a fundraiser,it is also regarded as a controlled event.
Thurlow remarked, “I don’t believe anyone is breaking any rules here.”
The campaign “followed all rules set out” by the party and Elections Canada,according to Freeland’s campaign spokesperson Katherine Cuplinskas.
Although the Baylis campaign hosted numerous events across British Columbia,Alberta, Ontario,and Quebec,none of them were formally classified as fundraisers.
According to Baylis campaign spokesperson Justin McIntyre,”all of our events throughout the campaign were non-ticketed events.””Supporters could come on their own terms,and if they wanted to, they could donate.”
Gould’s campaign did not react on Monday,despite having previously stated that she did not host any fundraising events.
Gould led Bill C-50 through Parliament as the minister of democratic institutions.
To date,Carney’s campaign has published one report listing attendees of a fundraiser that took place in Ottawa on February 6. They included former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty,as well as a number of well-known Liberal lobbyists and residents of Ottawa’s upscale Rockcliffe neighborhood.
In a few days, Carney will have to reveal the results of his next fundraising report for an event in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Liberal party’s president, Sachit Mehra, stated on Sunday night that the party had just achieved its highest-ever first-quarter “grassroots” fundraising result, and the reporting period was still open.
“Carney will sell out Canada for his personal profit… he’s systematically done it his entire time as a corporate insider,” Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party, warned reporters.
After Trudeau claimed in September 2023 that Indians were responsible for the June 18 murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, relations between India and Canada fell to an all-time low.
Carney’s understanding of Ottawa’s economic relations with New Delhi would be an additional benefit for India with him leading Canada.In addition to serving as the board chairman of Brookfield Asset Management,which has made investments in India’s infrastructure,renewable energy, and real estate markets,he had previously served as the head of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. In January,he left the role.
In light of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats that affect both nations, New Delhi is likely to appreciate any attempt by Ottawa to strengthen bilateral ties. Since Canada is one of the most popular places for Indians to migrate overseas, New Delhi might also bring up the subject of Ottawa’s tighter visa requirements and immigration restrictions with the country’s new administration.
After receiving 85.9 percent of the vote in the Liberal Party leadership contest, Carney emerged victorious in the quest to succeed Trudeau as Canada’s top leader.
In a recent media appearance in Calgary, Alberta, prior to his election, Carney discussed the US tariffs on Canada and stated that “What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries, and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India.”
“There needs to be a shared sense of values around that commercial relationship, and if I am Prime Minister, I look forward to the opportunity to build that,” he continued.
Canada-India Relations :
After Trudeau claimed in September 2023 that Indians were responsible for the June 18 murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar,relations between India and Canada fell to an all-time low. New Delhi called the accusations “baseless” and denied them on multiple occasions.The top diplomats from both nations were then expelled.
The Early Progress Trade Agreement,which was scheduled to be finalized in 2023,has also been put on hold by Ottawa.
Keeping the momentum going :
Carney received 86% of party members’ votes to win the Liberal leadership. Carney will shortly receive an invitation to form a government from the governor general, who serves as King Charles of Britain’s envoy to Canada.
For months, the Conservatives were ahead of the Liberals in the polls, frequently by double digits.
With Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, the possibility of tariffs, and the threat of annexation, the political landscape changed. The Liberals, who have been riding a tide of newfound national unity to tie the Conservatives, had a spike in popularity at the same time.
Maintaining that momentum and persuading Canadians to support a party that has been in power for almost ten years while waging a multifaceted trade war will be the next hurdle.
The difficulties are nearly unprecedented in Canadian history,if not unique in the post-war era,according to Cameron Anderson,a professor of politics at Western University.
Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Carney will be the first Canadian prime minister to have no prior electoral political experience.