Auditor General's Report raises question as to where campaigns have received their funds
EDMONTON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) responded today to the release of the November 2006 Auditor General report, renewing its call for PC leadership candidates to disclose their contributors before the vote.
The Auditor General's report on the use of false contracts by the executive director for the Tobacco Reduction Unit of Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) to fraudulently funnel taxpayer dollars through non-profit agencies and communication companies to benefit all involved (except Alberta taxpayers), points out that:
"AADAC funds from these contracts may have been provided to tobacco control lobbyists who then provided the funds to the campaigns of provincial leadership contenders-Unlike some jurisdictions, contribution records for leadership campaigns in Alberta are not required to be publicly available."
Auditor General Report, November 2006, p. 13-14
"The lack of a law forcing these leadership candidates to disclose their campaign contributors has stopped the Auditor's investigation in its tracks," said CTF-Alberta director Scott Hennig. "While there may not be a legal requirement to disclose, these candidates now have a significant
moral requirement to do so."
"Albertans have the right to know whether a single taxpayer dollar ended up in these leadership contenders' war chests, and PC party members have the right to know the same before they cast their ballot for our next premier," concluded Hennig.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has recently asked PC leadership candidates if they would commit to disclose their campaign contributors before the first ballot vote. On November 14, 2006 we released their responses in:
A Taxpayers' Platform: Responses from PC Leadership Candidates to 16 Questions from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Question 14:
Will you commit to disclose a complete list and dollar amount of all campaign contributions you have received during this PC leadership campaign prior to the first ballot vote
Responses from the eight PC leadership candidates can be read on pages 61-63 of
A Taxpayers' Platform.