Manitoba NDP Violate Elections Financing Rules to Walk Back Careless Cuts

WINNIPEG — Yesterday, Manitoba PC Party President Brent Pooles filed a formal complaint with the Manitoba Elections Commissioner Bill Bowles, calling on the Commissioner to investigate NDP MLA Ian Bushie (Keewatinook) for attempting to violate The Election Financing Act and announce new government funding to influence the upcoming by-election.

“During an election blackout, the NDP are trying to use government resources to buy votes,” said Pooles. “Bushie and the NDP violated election rules as their new announcement was covered by the media the same as if they had made it at a microphone in a press conference. In fact, coverage was directly linked to organizations headquartered in Tuxedo.”

Days after being taken to task for defunding hundreds of youth employment programs across Manitoba, Bushie, the NDP minister for municipal relations, announced $300,000 in previously-cut funding for community organizations, some of which are headquartered in Tuxedo. The Election Financing Act limits governments from advertising information about programs or activities during an election.

“Just a few weeks ago, the NDP defunded several Tuxedo-based summer camps, community groups, and youth programs,” said Pooles. “Nothing stopped the NDP from addressing their careless cuts with organizations one-on-one, but instead they did so publicly, in a manner that’s distributed throughout Winnipeg and Manitoba using taxpayer-funded resources.”

“We look forward to the results of the investigation into this clear attempt by the NDP to use government resources to influence a by-election.”

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