Man says PC membership bought in his name without consent

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This article was published 27/10/2021 (1603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man who says he’s never belonged to the Progressive Conservative party was surprised to receive a ballot in the mail to cast a vote for the next PC leader.

“I have never signed up or gave my consent for becoming a member of the PC party,” said the man, who didn’t want his name published, in an Oct. 21 written statement asking Manitoba’s elections commissioner to investigate.

On Saturday, PC party members will elect either former health minister and Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson, or former police officer and federal Conservative cabinet minister Shelly Glover as the party’s new leader.

One of them will serve as premier until Manitobans go to the polls in 2023. Former premier Brian Pallister resigned on Sept. 1, sparking the leadership race while Steinbach MLA Kelvin Goertzen has served as “caretaker” premier until a new leader is chosen.

To be eligible to vote for PC party leader, a $20 party membership had to be purchased or renewed by the end of the day Oct. 1.

The Winnipeg man who says he received the ballot in his name — without buying a membership — had been in India from Feb. 11 until Oct. 1, and wondered who had signed him up to become a current PC member.

“I strongly believe this is against (the) democratic process to elect a leader of the major political party of Manitoba,” he said.

Under the Election Financing Act, a person or organization must not reimburse or otherwise compensate, or offer to reimburse or otherwise compensate, any individual for all or part of a contribution.

The PC party maintains the man is in their database as a new member.

“We have reviewed our records and we have determined that the person did not join via our website or at our headquarters,” PC leadership election committee spokesman Keith Stewart said in an email.

“We have his name, address, signature and payment method on our records. His membership was submitted by one of the campaigns,” Stewart said, without naming which campaign. “We can provide no further information at this time.”

He did not respond when asked how someone could’ve purchased a membership if he was out of the country until Oct. 1, the method of payment for the $20 fee, or if the party would provide a copy of the man’s signature to verify it is his. The party said earlier that close to 24,000 members will be eligible to vote.

Although he’s in the PC database as a new member, the man says he never signed up for, or consented to join, the party. He says he was a member of the Manitoba NDP in 2019-20. The issue of the PC membership was brought to the attention of the New Democrats, who filed a formal complaint with the elections commissioner on Oct. 22.

The opposition party says it wants to know if more people had memberships purchased in their name.

“Given the seriousness of this possible violation, and the likelihood (he) is not the only person for whom memberships have been purchased, we ask you to investigate this matter immediately and to take all necessary measures to ensure memberships in the PC party are only being purchased with funds that belong to Manitoba residents,” its formal complaint to elections commissioner Bill Bowles said.

Elections Manitoba declined to comment, saying leadership contests and party memberships are internal party matters. The Election Financing Act regulates contributions, leadership contest financial reporting and financial disclosure of leadership contestants.

It’s not the first complaint concerning the PC leadership election.

Both the PC party and the Manitoba NDP complained to Elections Manitoba after the Free Press reported last month that a man campaigning for disqualified leadership hopeful Ken Lee had offered on social media to pay for memberships of those who sign up to support him. The Lee supporter offered interest-free $20 loans to those who bought a membership and they wouldn’t have to pay it back for 100 years.

Bowles has said it’s his policy to neither confirm nor deny whether a complaint has been received, or disclose the status of an investigation.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca