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Kevin O’Leary campaign organizer accused of vote buying
Robert Fife
The Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Mar. 19, 2017 8:17PM EDT
Last updated Sunday, Mar. 19, 2017 10:51PM EDT
A signed affidavit provided to The Globe and Mail alleges that one of Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary’s key organizers in the Sikh-Canadian community in Brampton, Ont., offered to pay for party membership – a clear breach of party rules.
The affidavit is being used by leadership candidate Maxime Bernier’s camp to target the reality-TV star as a hypocrite after the O’Leary team accused his Quebec rival of committing mass membership fraud last week.
Six Sikh-Canadians signed an affidavit on Sunday alleging that the president of the Conservative Brampton East Riding Association offered to pay for their memberships.
Party rules require membership to be purchased by an individual using either personal cheques or personal credit cards.
“I was approached by Ron Chatha from the Kevin O’Leary team to provide names and addresses for myself and friends, so they could sign up for the Conservative Party of Canada [and] not to worry about the fees as they will take care of it. But I discussed with my friends, they said they had to pay for the membership so we decided not [to] sign for membership,” the six men said in the signed affidavit.
The Sikh-Canadians went to a notary’s office in Brampton on Sunday to have their allegations notarized. The affidavit was provided to The Globe from the Bernier camp.
“It is very disturbing and doubly disturbing that Mr. O’Leary was so keen to throw stones at other campaigns, yet he was very clearly in a glass house,” Conservative MP Tony Clement, a senior adviser to the Bernier campaign, told The Globe. “This is the height of hypocrisy and it illustrates that his campaign is up to no good.”
But Mr. Chatha, who is a key organizer for Mr. O’Leary, flatly denied he engaged in voter buying and accused the Bernier campaign of seeking revenge.
“They tried to recruit me and I refused. Now I am being targeted,” Mr. Chatha said. “I haven’t even signed anyone. I just signed my family.”
The O'Leary campaign released its own statement Sunday evening: "We are disappointed that the whistleblower who brought to light the issue of vote buying is being harassed for doing the right thing. Mr. Chatha has not submitted any lists or memberships in bulk to the O’Leary campaign, and has only signed up his family. The O’Leary campaign will continue to operate with transparency and by the rules."
Mr. Chatha said he was the one who first complained to party headquarters about false memberships when he looked at the recent list of 278 new members in his riding. Many of the people on that list did not even know they had been signed, he told The Globe.
“I was the one who complained. There is no merit in this. I didn’t do anything,” he said.
Robert Fife
The Globe and Mail
Published Sunday, Mar. 19, 2017 8:17PM EDT
Last updated Sunday, Mar. 19, 2017 10:51PM EDT
A signed affidavit provided to The Globe and Mail alleges that one of Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary’s key organizers in the Sikh-Canadian community in Brampton, Ont., offered to pay for party membership – a clear breach of party rules.
The affidavit is being used by leadership candidate Maxime Bernier’s camp to target the reality-TV star as a hypocrite after the O’Leary team accused his Quebec rival of committing mass membership fraud last week.
Six Sikh-Canadians signed an affidavit on Sunday alleging that the president of the Conservative Brampton East Riding Association offered to pay for their memberships.
Party rules require membership to be purchased by an individual using either personal cheques or personal credit cards.
“I was approached by Ron Chatha from the Kevin O’Leary team to provide names and addresses for myself and friends, so they could sign up for the Conservative Party of Canada [and] not to worry about the fees as they will take care of it. But I discussed with my friends, they said they had to pay for the membership so we decided not [to] sign for membership,” the six men said in the signed affidavit.
The Sikh-Canadians went to a notary’s office in Brampton on Sunday to have their allegations notarized. The affidavit was provided to The Globe from the Bernier camp.
“It is very disturbing and doubly disturbing that Mr. O’Leary was so keen to throw stones at other campaigns, yet he was very clearly in a glass house,” Conservative MP Tony Clement, a senior adviser to the Bernier campaign, told The Globe. “This is the height of hypocrisy and it illustrates that his campaign is up to no good.”
But Mr. Chatha, who is a key organizer for Mr. O’Leary, flatly denied he engaged in voter buying and accused the Bernier campaign of seeking revenge.
“They tried to recruit me and I refused. Now I am being targeted,” Mr. Chatha said. “I haven’t even signed anyone. I just signed my family.”
The O'Leary campaign released its own statement Sunday evening: "We are disappointed that the whistleblower who brought to light the issue of vote buying is being harassed for doing the right thing. Mr. Chatha has not submitted any lists or memberships in bulk to the O’Leary campaign, and has only signed up his family. The O’Leary campaign will continue to operate with transparency and by the rules."
Mr. Chatha said he was the one who first complained to party headquarters about false memberships when he looked at the recent list of 278 new members in his riding. Many of the people on that list did not even know they had been signed, he told The Globe.
“I was the one who complained. There is no merit in this. I didn’t do anything,” he said.
