XPost: can.politics, edm.general, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics   
   From: Panca@nyet.ca   
      
   Just a little TOO close to being a rightwing conservative in his habits?   
   _________________________________________________   
   Calgary Herald - November 10, 2014   
      
      
   Elections watchdog called on to investigate donations by Liberal Leader Raj   
   Sherman   
      
      
   EDMONTON — Elections Alberta has been asked to investigate political   
   contributions Liberal Leader Raj Sherman made to his own party in possible   
   violation of the provincial elections laws.   
      
   Documents obtained by the Herald suggest Sherman exceeded the $15,000 limit for   
   donations three times in the past four years and donated double the limit this   
   year through corporations he controls, but Sherman says the rules are   
   “fuzzy”   
   and if he broke any, it wasn’t done deliberately.   
      
   The donations were brought to the attention of Alberta’s chief electoral   
   officer Glen Resler on Thursday by researcher Tony Clark, a former NDP staff   
   member with an interest in provincial politics.   
      
   Clark said disclosure statements posted on the Elections Alberta website this   
   year show Sherman made $15,000 donations to his party through the Rajnish   
   Sherman Professional Corp. and Empress Group Ltd.   
      
   Corporate registry documents show Sherman is the lone shareholder of both   
   corporations.   
      
   Under the provincial legislation, two corporations controlled by one person   
   count as a single entity for election donation purposes.   
      
   However, if a donation was made on or after Sept. 29 during the 2014 byelection   
   campaign, it would not exceed the limit because the limit doubles during   
   election campaign periods.   
      
   Sherman said Friday he doesn’t believe he has violated the Alberta Election   
   Financing and Contributions Disclosure Act.   
      
   “I, as an individual, haven’t exceeded anything and neither have any of the   
   corporations,” he said. “These are separate donations from separate   
   entities.   
   As far as I am aware, under the law I can do that.”   
      
   Sherman, who still works shifts as an emergency room doctor, said the   
   professional corporation was established for his medical practice and the   
   Empress Group is his investment holding company.   
      
   He said he was advised by Elections Alberta on Friday that the 2014 donation,   
   if it is found to exceed the limit, can be returned without penalty since the   
   year has not ended and the final results have not yet been filed.   
      
   Clark also found disclosure documents that suggest Sherman made a total of   
   $46,000 in donations to the Alberta Liberal Party through the Empress Group   
   since 2011, exceeding the donation limit by $4,000 in 2012 and $2,000 in 2011.   
      
   Elections Alberta said it will look into the complaint to determine whether an   
   investigation is warranted, but spokesman Drew Westwater said Sunday it can’t   
   prosecute offences that occurred in 2011 because there is a three-year statute   
   of limitations.   
      
   “We can’t administer an administrative penalty or prosecute them if it’s   
   more   
   three years old, but we can look into them and request they return the   
   funds,”   
   he said.   
      
   He also confirmed the Liberal party can return $15,000 of the $30,000 it   
   received from Sherman this year if the donation is found to exceed the limit.   
      
   Sherman said the donations he made in 2012 also fell in an election year so it   
   isn’t clear whether they exceed the limit.   
      
   He said he doesn’t think he violated the rules, but if he did, it was “an   
   honest mistake.”   
      
   “If there is a problem, I would like to rectify it,” Sherman said.   
      
   But he was adamant he wouldn’t step down if he is found in violation of the   
   act.   
      
   “As the leader of a political party, I put my money where my mouth is,” he   
   said. “I am not resigning. I am fully committed to serving Albertans.”   
      
   Clark pointed out in his letter to the chief electoral officer that the party   
   may also have violated the act by accepting the donations.   
      
   “It is a violation for a political party to accept a donation if the party   
   knows or ought to know that the amount would exceed the limit,” he noted in   
   the   
   letter.   
      
   The researcher, who has previously worked for an Alberta opposition party and   
   is currently employed by a labour organization, said he conducted the research   
   on his own and acted independently in filing the complaint.   
      
   The maximum penalty for violations proved in court is $10,000, but the chief   
   electoral officer can proceed with an administrative penalty that would involve   
   a fine of double the amount the donation exceeded the limit, to a maximum of   
   $10,000 per contravention.   
      
   Chaldeans Mensah, a political studies professor at MacEwan University in   
   Edmonton, said the situation “spells trouble” for the Alberta Liberals.   
      
   “It will be a very difficult period coming up for the Liberal Party because   
   you   
   don’t want the leader of your party under any kind of ethical cloud,” he   
   said.   
      
   “Hopefully he is able to come up with a credible explanation … but if the   
   investigation is undertaken and he is found guilty, his situation as leader   
   becomes untenable.”   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)