Close X
Friday, November 8, 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

Vancouver man pleads guilty to child pornography related charges

Vancouver man pleads guilty to child pornography related charges
A 68-year-old Vancouver man was sentenced this week after a Vancouver Police investigation into child pornography.

Vancouver man pleads guilty to child pornography related charges

'Queue jumpers' not welcome in B.C. as COVID-19 U.S. cases rise: B.C. premier

'Queue jumpers' not welcome in B.C. as COVID-19 U.S. cases rise: B.C. premier
British Columbia's premier has a message for Americans coming across the border on their way to Alaska: Do not stop in the province while COVID-19 cases continue rising in the United States.

'Queue jumpers' not welcome in B.C. as COVID-19 U.S. cases rise: B.C. premier

Psychiatrists, Ontario liable for patient abuse

Psychiatrists, Ontario liable for patient abuse
Two psychiatrists have been found liable for the harm they caused inmates at a maximum security mental-health facility, who said the mistreatment they endured amounted to torture.

Psychiatrists, Ontario liable for patient abuse

Tories ask watchdog to probe WE Charity deals

Tories ask watchdog to probe WE Charity deals
The Conservatives are asking the federal procurement watchdog to review the circumstances around several sole-sourced contracts between the Liberal government and WE Charity.

Tories ask watchdog to probe WE Charity deals

FN group rejects advice to reinstate Beyak

FN group rejects advice to reinstate Beyak
A coalition of First Nations chiefs and residential school survivors are rejecting new recommendations to lift Sen. Lynn Beyak's suspension from the Senate.

FN group rejects advice to reinstate Beyak

Mask mandates raise accessibility concerns

Mask mandates raise accessibility concerns
Experts and advocates say mandatory mask policies will only work if they're backed up by efforts to provide access and education to vulnerable populations.

Mask mandates raise accessibility concerns