500 signatures reached
To: John Walsh, President of the Conservative Party of Canada
Stop abusing taxpayer dollars for Del Mastro
John Walsh,
In light of Dean Del Mastro’s conviction for electoral fraud we call on you to stop abusing taxpayer money by repaying the $24,000 of public funds the Conservative Party raised for his legal defence.
In light of Dean Del Mastro’s conviction for electoral fraud we call on you to stop abusing taxpayer money by repaying the $24,000 of public funds the Conservative Party raised for his legal defence.
Why is this important?
After a two-year investigation, on October 31, 2014, the Ontario Court of Justice found former Conservative MP for Peterborough, Dean Del Mastro, guilty of violating the Canada Elections Act in 2008. He overspent his election limit and then falsified documentation to cover up his fraud.[1]
But it doesn’t end there. In order to pay his legal fees, the Peterborough Conservative riding association hosted a $600/plate event on May 2, 2013, which raised close to $40,000. The 53 donors who gave money then walked away with almost $24,000 in tax credits.[2,3] That’s right -- Canadians subsidized Del Mastro’s legal defense. And even though he has officially stepped down in disgrace as MP for Peterborough, he still stands to collect his full parliamentary pension benefits. Once again, propped up by taxpayer dollars.[4]
Del Mastro walks away with a salary for life. The least the party can do is repay taxpayers for his legal defence.
Time and again, this Conservative government has tried to convince Canadians that Del Mastro is just one bad apple with poor judgement. But the bad apple never falls far from the rotting tree. From the in-and-out electoral fraud scandal to the still-unanswered questions about "Pierre Poutine" and the robocall election fraud scandal, we've seen a pattern of shady behaviour from Conservative operatives.
No Canadian wants their elected officials to abuse the system and use their hard-earned tax dollars for personal gain. We want accountability and transparency.
Please sign this petition calling on John Walsh, the President of the Conservative Party of Canada, to commit to paying back the $24,000 in taxpayer money the Conservatives used to fundraise for Dean Del Mastro’s legal defence.
[1] Dean Del Mastro found guilty in election spending case (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-found-guilty-in-election-spending-case-1.2818920
[2] Dean Del Mastro legal fees subsidized by taxpayers (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-legal-fees-subsidized-by-taxpayers-1.2835381
[3] Tax deductions for supporting Del Mastro’s legal defence (The Peterborough Examiner)
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2014/11/18/tax-deductions-for-supporting-mps-legal-defence
[4] Do the crime, keep your pension. Sweet deal there, DDM (National Post)
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/11/07/matt-gurney-do-the-crime-keep-your-pension-sweet-deal-there-ddm/
But it doesn’t end there. In order to pay his legal fees, the Peterborough Conservative riding association hosted a $600/plate event on May 2, 2013, which raised close to $40,000. The 53 donors who gave money then walked away with almost $24,000 in tax credits.[2,3] That’s right -- Canadians subsidized Del Mastro’s legal defense. And even though he has officially stepped down in disgrace as MP for Peterborough, he still stands to collect his full parliamentary pension benefits. Once again, propped up by taxpayer dollars.[4]
Del Mastro walks away with a salary for life. The least the party can do is repay taxpayers for his legal defence.
Time and again, this Conservative government has tried to convince Canadians that Del Mastro is just one bad apple with poor judgement. But the bad apple never falls far from the rotting tree. From the in-and-out electoral fraud scandal to the still-unanswered questions about "Pierre Poutine" and the robocall election fraud scandal, we've seen a pattern of shady behaviour from Conservative operatives.
No Canadian wants their elected officials to abuse the system and use their hard-earned tax dollars for personal gain. We want accountability and transparency.
Please sign this petition calling on John Walsh, the President of the Conservative Party of Canada, to commit to paying back the $24,000 in taxpayer money the Conservatives used to fundraise for Dean Del Mastro’s legal defence.
[1] Dean Del Mastro found guilty in election spending case (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-found-guilty-in-election-spending-case-1.2818920
[2] Dean Del Mastro legal fees subsidized by taxpayers (CBC News)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dean-del-mastro-legal-fees-subsidized-by-taxpayers-1.2835381
[3] Tax deductions for supporting Del Mastro’s legal defence (The Peterborough Examiner)
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2014/11/18/tax-deductions-for-supporting-mps-legal-defence
[4] Do the crime, keep your pension. Sweet deal there, DDM (National Post)
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/11/07/matt-gurney-do-the-crime-keep-your-pension-sweet-deal-there-ddm/