Close X
Saturday, November 2, 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

Parents take Quebec to court for online learning

Parents take Quebec to court for online learning
Human rights lawyer Julius Grey told Quebec Superior Court Justice Frederic Bachand the decision to send one's child to class during the COVID-19 pandemic is an extremely private and personal one.

Parents take Quebec to court for online learning

Bottle depots to accept cannabis containers?

Bottle depots to accept cannabis containers?
The Alberta Bottle Depot Association says paying a deposit on the containers and having it returned at dropoff would help divert plastic from landfills and stabilize declines in depot income.

Bottle depots to accept cannabis containers?

Space agency gets first female president

Space agency gets first female president
Longtime public servant Lisa Campbell has been tapped by the Trudeau government to take the agency's reins, the first woman to head the organization since it was founded in 1989.

Space agency gets first female president

Boy, 10, escapes serious injury in cougar attack

Boy, 10, escapes serious injury in cougar attack
The Conservation Officer Service says the animal attacked on Monday near a remote family cabin on Marshall Lake northwest of Lillooet.

Boy, 10, escapes serious injury in cougar attack

Surrey Memorial Hospital declares COVID-19 outbreak

Surrey Memorial Hospital declares  COVID-19 outbreak
Surrey Memorial is working with staff and patients to identify anyone who may have been exposed.

Surrey Memorial Hospital declares COVID-19 outbreak

Surrey Reopens Select Recreation and Culture Centres this Fall with New Safety Measures

Surrey Reopens Select Recreation and Culture Centres this Fall with New Safety Measures
Pre-registered fall programs for families include: Fitness Centres, including weight rooms and group fitness classes Gymnasium sports including badminton, pickleball, tennis, table tennis and more Licensed preschool.

Surrey Reopens Select Recreation and Culture Centres this Fall with New Safety Measures