NDP forced to repay $340,000 in corporate and union donations

Postmedia NewsAugust 26, 2012 3:13 PM
 OTTAWA — The Conservative Party of Canada is calling on NDP leader Thomas Mulcair to immediately disclose all meetings he and his staff have had with representatives from unions who gave the federal New Democrats hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue in violation of political financing laws. After obtaining internal party documents, The Toronto Star reported Sunday that the NDP returned $344,468 it had received over six years from eight unions and seven other organizations. The full amount reported by the Toronto Star — more than $340,000 —includes $40,860 at the 2006 convention in Quebec City, $102,500 from the 2009 convention in Halifax and $201,108 at the Vancouver convention last year. The funds were returned in April and May. The unions involved were the United Steelworkers, the Canadian Labour Congress, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Canadian Machinists Political League, the International Association of Firefighters, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.