The Quebec Liberal party might have to repay more than a half-million dollars as reimbursement for numerous illegal donations received between 2006 and 2011. For the same period, the Parti Quebecois (PQ) may also have to repay illegal donations, although in their case, the sum will be up to $250,000.
This is what may result from the approach taken by the Chief Electoral Officer, which sent out a pre-notice of claim to the Liberals and the PQ on July 19, under the power of a new law.
Nobody at the offices of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Liberal, or the PQ, wanted to reveal on Tuesday the exact total of the alleged illegal contributions.
However in a statement on Tuesday, the president of the Liberal party, Gilbert Grimard, indicated that following the advice received by his party, he placed “over $500,000” in trust for the contributions referred by the CEO, which will be analyzed for whether or not they were in accordance with electoral law.
According to Liberal spokesperson Arnaud Champalbert, this amount should cover the full sum that will eventually be claimed.
Verifying all of the past financial contributions, spread over the past six years, constitutes “a monk’s work” in the coming days for the party, Champalbert said in a phone interview.
The PQ has estimated that the amount to be reimbursed, if applicable, would be less than $250,000, “less than half of the Liberal party,” noted party spokesperson Yanick Grégoire.
He said that the party was always committed to reimbursing any money received illegally.
Spokesperson for the Chief Electoral Officer, Alexandra Reny, said in a telephone interview that for their part, the notices had been sent because the agency believed it had “sufficient proof” to initiate the claims process.
The CEO gives 15 days for parties to state their position. After that, if the assembled evidence is not challenged, they will receive a formal notice of claim and must pay the due amount. The CEO must then make details of the charges public.
At this stage, the tight-lipped Chief Electoral Officer refused to say if the illegal contributions in question were made by nominees or by another strategy.
The Liberal party’s statement simply mentioned “contributions dating from 2006-2011 which were subject to reimbursement, contrary to the provisions of the Elections Act.”
The Liberal Party will reimburse any contribution deemed non-compliant with the law as soon as possible.
The CEO’s approach follows the adoption of Bill 101 last June, which ensures that the institution may claim reimbursements for illegal contributions of political parties without regard to the date of the payment.
During consideration of Bill 101, Presse Canadienne learned that the Executive Director of the Liberal party, Marie-Ève Ringuette refused to reimburse illegally made gifts last year, despite a request from the Chief Electoral Officer.
The 15 of May 2015, the CEO asked Ringuette to repay seven donations to the Liberal party from 2009, totalling $3,500, alleging that those donations were strategically made as ploys by nominees.
But Ringuette refused, on the grounds that the statute of limitations did not legally oblige making the required reimbursement. This was corrected by the new law.
