Fundraising letter signed by premier did not violate Conflicts of Interest Act: Ethics Commissioner
EDMONTON, AB — The office of the ethics commissioner says Premier Jason Kenney did not violate the Conflicts of Interest act with a recent fundraising letter.
The ruling, released by Ethics Commissioner Marguerite Trussler on Friday, says Kenney did not violate the act by signing a fundraising letter for the United Conservative Party as Premier Jason Kenney.
The complaint was submitted by NDP MLA Heather Sweet (Edmonton-Manning) in a letter dated May 15. Sweet alleged in a letter the UCP was using Kenney’s position as Premier to fundraise. The letter was asking for donations to cover outstanding campaign debt of $340,000 for the UCP.
“Fundraising is a political activity,” Trussler writes. “When a Member of the Legislative Assembly fundraises for the Member’s party, that Member is furthering a political interest as opposed to a private interest. This distinction has been made by me in the past and by my predecessors, other ethics commissioners and courts across Canada.