Canada’s elections watchdog says a Quebec engineering firm illegally donated more than $46,000 to federal political entities over a period of seven years.
The firm, now known as Norda Stelo Inc., gave the money to both the Liberals and Conservatives, including to candidates and riding associations, between 2004 and 2011.
The Commissioner of Canada Elections says the investigation didn’t turn up any evidence the federal parties knew the money represented illegal indirect contributions from companies.
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Most of the money has now been returned and the firm will pay upwards of $139,000 to the government and has also instituted a series of internal reforms to guard against further breaches.
The commissioner released the information today along with a series of findings about two other entities that didn’t comply with election financing rules in the last federal election.
One, the United Conservative Party of Alberta, handed out free bumper stickers campaigning against the Liberal prime minister, and the second was labour union Unifor, which held a pancake breakfast to support a local NDP candidate.