Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Toews calls for Elections Manitoba inquiry
WINNIPEG — Manitoba's senior federal minister is calling for a public inquiry into the way Elections Manitoba investigated campaign finances following the 1999 election.
"On the basis of recent media reports and a number of private conversations that I have had with individuals who have inside knowledge of how Elections Manitoba conducted itself after the 1999 provincial election, I believe it is absolutely essential that there be a full public inquiry into the conduct of Elections Manitoba and its officials," said Treasury Board President Vic Toews in an e-mail statement this morning.
"The people of Manitoba have every reason to expect an impartial elections commission supervising their provincial elections. On the basis of these recent allegations and my own personal experience with Elections Manitoba I have very grave reservations about the ability of Elections Manitoba to meet the high standards expected by Manitobans."
Toews was charged with exceeding the advertising spending limit during the 1999 election. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 after a protracted legal fight.
Toews said he was treated differently than the NDP, which has come under fire this week for a scheme designed to maximize taxpayer-funded rebates. In the 1999 campaign, union workers were sent to work for 13 campaigns but instead of being listed as a donation-in-kind, their contribution was recorded as an expense. A complex back-and-forth of cheques ensued, a practice the NDP said was common in past campaigns and never raised a red flag.
In 1999, though, Elections Manitoba launched a long investigation into the practice and forced the NDP to repay $76,000 in rebates. No charges were ever laid and the matter never became public fodder until years later.
The Tory Opposition have suggested the NDP interfered in the investigation and that Elections Manitoba treated the governing party with kid gloves.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca
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