Close X
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
ADVT 
National

Campaign fundraising error less than $10K: Greens

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Oct, 2020 09:56 PM
  • Campaign fundraising error less than $10K: Greens

The Green Party of Canada says the amount of money accidentally deposited with the party rather than Glen Murray's leadership campaign adds up to less than $10,000.

Murray says he is not yet convinced the damage stops there but credits the party with doing what it can to fix the problem.

He says the damage to his campaign has been done, preventing his team from doing some planned work because it didn't think it had the money.

The party says in a statement today it has forwarded $9,630 from 35 donors to Murray's campaign, and added under 10 people to the membership list whose memberships weren't properly approved.

The party says the donations were "incorrectly processed" but the situation has now been rectified.

Murray says media coverage of the problem has led to many phone calls from supporters who say they are concerned their donation didn't go through, or didn't get a ballot to vote in the leadership race.

He says his campaign team is focused on getting their vote out right now. Digital voting started last weekend and runs through Saturday, when the winner will be announced at an event in Ottawa.

Murray's campaign team will meet Sunday to figure out what else has to be done.

"I'm not sure at this point we'll ever get a final number," he said Thursday in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Murray said the party reported publicly on fundraising efforts by the candidates but since his numbers were incorrect, it "misrepresented" the strength of his campaign.

According to the most recently released public figures, Murray had raised $62,550 as of Aug. 31, from 353 donors.

That left him in fourth place for money raised and in sixth place for the number of donors, out of the eight candidates in the race.

Toronto activist and lawyer Annamie Paul led both counts, with $186,326 raised from 1,622 donors.

If the problem was limited to $9,630 and 35 donors, neither of Murray's placements on those lists would have changed.

Murray said he is disappointed this happened, and knows it could affect the outcome of the race but he said "the party is really going out of its way" to try to fix it.

This is the first Green leadership contest in 14 years. Former leader Elizabeth May stepped down almost a year ago, but stayed on as an MP and the parliamentary leader in the House of Commons.

None of the eight contestants running to succeed her are currently MPs. Paul is running in the current byelection in Toronto Centre, where she was also a candidate in the 2019 election.

MORE National ARTICLES

Analysis of Ukraine flight black boxes complete

Analysis of Ukraine flight black boxes complete
Canada's Transportation Safety Board says a team of international investigators has completed a preliminary analysis of the data from the flight recorders of the Ukrainian passenger jet shot down by Iran in January.

Analysis of Ukraine flight black boxes complete

Quebec tourists 'invade' Gaspe beaches

Quebec tourists 'invade' Gaspe beaches
Quebec's annual two-week construction holiday is in full swing, and with many Quebecers staying closer to home this summer because of COVID-19, towns in the Gaspe region are seeing an influx of tourists drawn to the charming seaside landscapes.

Quebec tourists 'invade' Gaspe beaches

Top court nixes video lottery terminal case

Top court nixes video lottery terminal case
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a class-action lawsuit taking aim at video lottery terminals cannot proceed, saying Friday the claims made in the case are bound to fail.

Top court nixes video lottery terminal case

Helicopter removed from crash site in N.L.

Helicopter removed from crash site in N.L.
Members of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada have completed their work at the scene of a fatal helicopter crash in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Helicopter removed from crash site in N.L.

Mother charged in six-year-old's stabbing death

Mother charged in six-year-old's stabbing death
The mother of a six-year-old girl who died after she was stabbed in an east-end Montreal residence was charged Friday with second-degree murder.

Mother charged in six-year-old's stabbing death

Trudeau should quit over WE deal: Scheer

Trudeau should quit over WE deal: Scheer
Outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign over his role in the controversy involving the WE organization.

Trudeau should quit over WE deal: Scheer