Photo by Whitehorse Star
Maxwell Harvey
Liberals’ revenue tripled their top adversaries’
The Yukon Liberal Party raked in triple the revenue of both the Yukon Party and the Yukon NDP in 2019, according to an Elections Yukon report.
The Yukon Liberal Party raked in triple the revenue of both the Yukon Party and the Yukon NDP in 2019, according to an Elections Yukon report.
The revenue report was released Tuesday by Maxwell Harvey, the chief electoral officer.
“Access to ‘no strings attached’ funding is critical to support outreach to the electorate to outline goals and policies,” Harvey said in a press release.
“Political financing regulation and disclosure requirements are designed to make political financing fair and transparent.”
The total revenue for all four Yukon parties in 2019 was $257,740.
The Yukon Liberal Party’s revenue for 2019 was $156,000.
The Yukon Party’s revenue was $55,676, while the Yukon NDP’s revenue was $44,543.
The Yukon Green Party’s revenue was $1,520.
The Yukon Liberal Party saw 90 contributions total $49,415, with $22,195 in monetary donations. In-kind donations totalled $27,220.
“Other revenue” totalled $106,585. The party’s president could not be reached for comment before press time to elaborate on this revenue.
In 2018, the Liberal party reported a total revenue of $51,020.
According to Elections Yukon, “other revenue” constitutes fundraising proceeds; donations received at meetings and rallies; membership fees; event registration fees; loans; or investment income.
According to Dave Wilkie, the assistant chief electoral officer, political parties are not required to itemize “other revenue” totals.
“Other jurisdictions have more robust or tighter rules as far as requiring more information, but here ‘other revenue’ is very non-specific,” Wilkie said.
About $6,000 of monetary contributions was donated by eight of the 11 Liberal members of the legislative assembly.
Ranj Pillai, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Paolo Gallina, the MLA for Porter Creek Centre, were the largest donors contributing $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.
There are five donations under the name of Mostyn for $400 each.
The donors are Richard Mostyn, the minister of Highways and Public Works, Richard T. Mostyn, Shona Mostyn, Liam Mostyn and Peter Mostyn.
Ted Adel and Don Hutton are the only two Liberal members of the assembly not listed as party donors. Neither man is a member of the cabinet.
Larry Bagnell, the Yukon’s Liberal MP, donated $400 to the party.
Other major contributors were Nuway Crushing, a civil engineering company, the TD Bank and Susan Walton. Those three donors gave $1,000 each.
The Yukon Party’s revenue of $55,676 saw 142 contributions totalling $42,711, with $32,211 in monetary donations. In-kind donations totalled $10,500.
“Other revenue” totalled $12,965.
Four of the Yukon Party’s six elected members donated a total of about $4,500.
Stacey Hassard, who was the Yukon Party’s interim party leader from late 2016 up until Currie Dixon’s election to the role in May, donated $1,798 to the party and was the largest individual donor. Dixon contributed $900.
Brad Cathers and Geraldine Van Bibber are the only two Yukon Party members not directly listed as donors.
The Yukon Party saw more donations from businesses than the Liberals in 2019.
All In Exploration, Big Bear Donair, CAP Management Services, Kluane Drilling Ltd., Nickel Creek Platinum, Pelly Construction Ltd., Pembridge Resources and the TD Bank all made donations.
The largest corporate donors were the TD Bank and Pembridge Resources, which contributed $1,000 each.
The Yukon NDP had the highest number of donors, with 208 contributions totalling $42,742.
In-kind donations added up to $1,446 and “other revenue” totalled $1,802.
The party did not receive any corporate donations in 2019.
The NDP’s two elected members, leader Kate White and Liz Hanson, donated $1,250 and $1,100 respectively.
Skeeter Wright, a previous NDP candidate, was the largest donor, contributing $1,840.
The two other donors contributing more than $1,000 were Max Fraser, a local filmmaker, and Lesley McCullough, acting deputy Justice minister from 2016 to 2019.
Fraser and McCullough donated $1,275 and $1,100 respectively.
Karen Barnes, the recently-retired Yukon University president, contributed $600.
The Yukon Green Party, which doesn’t currently have any elected members in the legislativeaAssembly, reported three contributions in 2019 totalling $1,500.
Mike Ivens, the Green Party president, donated $1,300.
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Comments (21)
Up 6 Down 11
Steven on Jul 21, 2020 at 7:43 am
It sounds to me like the Cons and NDP just have a case of sour grapes. Awww... your opponent got more money than you... Boo Hoo! What a bunch of sore losers. Canadian politics is rapidly becoming a shadow of American politics. Don't like the results? Complain, cry foul, and demand an investigation! God forbid people win anything anymore because they are simply better.
PS: The "Yukon Party" should be forced to change it's name to the "Yukon Conservative Party". They do not represent all Yukoners, and their name kind of suggests they do, and that to be against them is to be against the Yukon. Which is not accurate at all, and is just another example of Conservative arrogance in choosing that name.
Up 7 Down 7
Jack C. on Jul 20, 2020 at 7:14 pm
I guess it shows that hard work, dedicated fund raisers kind of go together for success the Liberal way. The right way. Great job!
Up 21 Down 9
Glamour Boy on Jul 18, 2020 at 11:48 pm
Wow! Talk about disconnected from reality. - Parties do not win or lose elections the citizens do. When Trudeau was elected we all became losers. When he was elected for a second time... Well... Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!
Up 19 Down 5
Arn Anderson on Jul 18, 2020 at 1:59 pm
Ha! Big Money buys what you need. Garbage in, garbage out, thank you for voting.
Up 21 Down 11
Groucho d'North on Jul 18, 2020 at 10:26 am
As the federal Liberals are once again embroiled in a financial scandal, this time with the WE organization, it's fascinating to watch how the numbers shift and change as the investigation moves forward to reveal very little oversight to ensure tax dollars are not being abused or shunted into schemes that appear to be less than honest. What has been revealed so far looks like an opportunity for financial kick-backs flowing to the Liberals. CRA squeezes us for nickels and dimes all the while millions of our dollars are shared on a whim without reliable oversight and accountability by the Trudeau Liberals. If it walks like a duck....
Up 16 Down 15
Max Mack on Jul 17, 2020 at 10:44 pm
Slippery Sandy and his gang have been doling out money and favours like candy to children. Of course, that kind of cronyism leads to money in party coffers.
Eventually, we all have to pay one way or the other. Fiscal and social conservatism has completely flown from the territory. Maybe we should import a few thousand more "progressives" from BC and ON. That should fix things. Not.
Up 17 Down 6
JC on Jul 17, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Linx: Would you march in a straight pride parade if there ever was one? If something is against a politician's moral values, why should he/she participate?
Up 21 Down 16
Ginger Johnson on Jul 17, 2020 at 2:23 pm
I want to know who funded Sore Loser Jonas Smith's overbearing campaign
in the last Federal election.
Alberta Oil or B.C. mining interests or both ?
Up 25 Down 18
Juniper Jackson on Jul 17, 2020 at 12:46 am
Buying votes is the Liberal way. Say anything, promise anything, do anything, (but make sure you say you are sorry after you are caught). Silver has been importing Liberals from Ontario by the hundreds, if not at least 1,000 transplants.
I have met many, many of them. Some have adopted the Yukon way of life. Kids in sports, outdoors, know their neighbors, looking out for each other. Others, here for the money, and the vote to keep the Liberals in. Unfortunately, the Con's have not got their ducks in a row, either Territorially , or Federally. I am not sure they even know where their ducks are. NDPs no better. Except, Kate White, who continues to be honest in expressing what her opinion is, returns mail, phone calls, talks to people. To bad she is NDP. I have never heard her, or read of her making personal comments about anyone, let alone other politician's. Something to be said for that.
I am so sick of all the crazy *hit going on, I am sick of Liberal lies and scandals, I am sick of watching City taxes and utilities going through the roof, sick of ATCO and Northwestel constantly having rate increase applications before the CRTC, the Liberal government that you all love so much eliminated the electric subsidy. $100 a month increase to the consumer sound about right? But, by all mean's, put electric heat into all those new houses without improving the capacity...ooops..here comes another increase. I'm sick of all of it.
Covid? I relaxed MY restrictions as soon as i saw that 90% of all covid cases were in Ontario and Quebec. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107034/covid19-cases-deaths-tests-canada/. Eleven MILD cases here, nothing in 3 months? Yet I am still being treated like it's the original prediction, 7000 Yukoner's will contract covid, half will die. I'm sick of that too.
The Liberals? Take money by the bucketfuls.. they owe a LOT of favors.. The Cons? some favors.. the NDP? no favors because outside of purchasing a membership, has anyone contributed? Maybe it's time to look at Max again. I did not look before.. or maybe, the next time the crazy train comes up, i should get on board with everyone else.
Up 18 Down 18
Yukoner61 on Jul 16, 2020 at 10:52 pm
@Sarah If you support the Yukon Party but also support the things you mention, you are contradicting yourself. Let me put this another way, if you were completely against progressives and their social issues, which party would you support? The Liberals, no, the greens no, the NDP HECK no, the Yukon Party which is ideologically conservative? Of course! The YP brought up JASON KENNY to do a fundraiser, he is the current Premier of Oilberta. So I stand by my statement. Conservatives as a general rule are the OPPOSITE of progressives. If you truly support those issues you might want to re-evaluate your politics. There are 3 other parties to choose from after all.
Up 15 Down 26
Lynx on Jul 16, 2020 at 9:29 pm
Actually Sarah, "Yukoner61" is technically correct. It's not ignorant, its just reality. Anyone who knows anything about politics, knows that the conservatives are hostile or at very best neutral sometimes on those issues.
For a few examples: The only federal party not to march in a gay pride parade this year (or any year) was the conservative party. When the Liberals changed the anthem to include women, all of the parties supported it except the conservatives. Even locally here Jonas Smith, the local conservative candidate always encouraged people to sing it the 'old' way (when he wasn't busy obsessing about guns). Locally again, the Yukon Party or at least most of them, voted against LGBTQ initiatives put forward by the Liberals and NDP last year or the year before. You tell me when we can ever expect to see Brad Cathars, Stacy Hassard or Patti Mcleod walk in a gay pride parade to show support!
When it comes to funding for public programs, just take a look at Kenny slashing and burning those programs in Alberta right now. And guess who the Yukon Party brought up to do a fundraiser for them a year or two ago? Yup - Jason Kenny. This is the type of leader their base is drawn to. So please tell me and Yukoner61 how you would reconcile supposedly being an ally on these issues while simultaneously bankrolling the political party who is constantly fighting against them?
If you need anymore proof of what I'm saying, just look at the comments on local facebook news articles and see for yourself. Notice how the commenters can also be found commenting and liking everything the Yukon Party does. You think it's a coincidence that all of those types of people are drawn to the Yukon Party? Don't be naive.
Up 11 Down 16
Woodcutter on Jul 16, 2020 at 6:38 pm
@Sarah...yup and Trudeau is remarkable isn't he. Now we have conservatives acting like liberals by suddenly acting like they care about social justice issues. If you find that interesting, they now are also acting like the NDP when they claim to care about people. How the world has changed since Trudeau came to be. Perhaps they might even care about the environment, like the greens, one day.
All they need to do is purge the ranks of the extremists and they might actually be able to win an election.
Up 27 Down 9
Jc on Jul 16, 2020 at 5:01 pm
Marxism has set in Canada and Yukon is no exception. The majority of Canadians have been programmed. And the Territory now has many thousands of socialist minded newcomers. Conservatism is dead folks. Make sure you tell your children and grandchildren that they will be on the hook for the massive debt the Marxist are running up for them. As for me, I'm playing the back nine now. I paid my share.
Up 35 Down 13
Sarah on Jul 16, 2020 at 2:31 pm
Yukoner61 - What an ignorant thing to say. I too am a YP supporter. I support public education. I support the LGBT community. I support the arts. Calling out your supposed "friend" because they don't conform to what your view of a Conservative is is complete crap. You don't have to be a Liberal to be progressive. You don't have to be NDP to care about people. Give your head a shake.
Up 24 Down 7
Chuck Farley on Jul 16, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Impartial Observer ; news flash sparkey; private sector responsible for the 1M jobs not federal government
Up 23 Down 10
Steven Yeeter on Jul 16, 2020 at 12:19 pm
@Impartial Observer
Wow the Yukon Liberals managed to add 1 million jobs in June? That's almost 30 times the population of the territory - astonishing!
Up 22 Down 19
woodcutter on Jul 16, 2020 at 12:13 pm
lol, is it any doubt that the Yukon Con's lost the election again, and then one of the guys who wanted to be leader didn't even contribute to the Bar-b-q fund? It must be specially galling to all the right wing nut supporters who cry and moan repeatedly, however don't contribute one dime to support "the cause".
Another example of an impotent and fading political movement, we just need to look at how the candidates for leadership behaved. He wanted the gravy and status, but didn't want to put any skin into the game, despite the favorable tax treatment. Isn't like the saying, having your cake and eating it too?
Up 14 Down 35
Sheepchaser on Jul 16, 2020 at 10:40 am
Well yeah, the liberals are the only sane option. That doesn’t mean our democracy is healthy.
Up 17 Down 28
Yukoner61 on Jul 16, 2020 at 8:29 am
I never knew this report existed, guess I was oblivious. But this is very informative, a friend of mine on facebook who I thought was quite progressive since she always posts about LGBTQ rights, BLM, public education, the arts etc on the one hand, actually donated almost a $1000 to the Yukon Party (aka conservative party)! So preaching about support for these issues on one hand while secretly handing money to the political party which is always first to oppose them!! The definition of a wolf in sheep's skin I'd say. If you want to donate to a political party, that's fine of course, but at least be upfront about it and not pretend to care about issues which that party has actually voted against!
Up 24 Down 21
Impartial Observer on Jul 15, 2020 at 4:30 pm
Boy those Liberals are sure doing well. One million full time jobs in June added to the lagging economy. Who are those guys?
Up 37 Down 9
bobby bitman on Jul 15, 2020 at 3:42 pm
Election finance in the Yukon has been called The Wild West by The Globe and Mail. It's no surprise that the party in power is getting a lot of money from people who want decisions to go their way. I bet the Yukon Party is wondering what happened to all their 'friends'.
"Yukon: The territory does not cap the amount that can be donated by individuals, corporations, unions, other unincorporated groups and non-Yukoners. The contributor's name is made public after the election, if the total amount donated is over $250." - Globe and Mail
The Yukon needs to join the more ethical jurisdictions and outlaw donations from any entity that is not entitled to vote in our territorial elections. That means no businesses or corporations, no unions, no non-profits. And no people who do not live in the Yukon. How it is now, you might be surprised to know that anybody, from anywhere, can send money to Yukon politicians in any amount. They do not even have to be Canadian.
The Liberals and the Yukon Party are absolutely fine with this. The NDP wants change. I do not vote NDP, but once again, they are on the side of doing what is right while the Liberals and Yukon Party are on the side of getting and keeping power.
You as a voter and citizen should be disgusted. We all need to demand change, and I don't care what party you are in.