The Commissioner of Canada Elections says it fined Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste $600 for a series of elections law violations — including his donation of funds to his own campaign that went almost $1,500 over the legal limit.
Battiste, who currently serves as parliamentary secretary to the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, sought the party leadership earlier this year but bowed out of the leadership race early on.
The elections law violations stem back six years, to a July 2019 candidate nomination contest in Sydney—Victoria that Battiste won.
The elections watchdog posted notices today stating that Battiste breached the Canada Elections Act by filing “false and misleading information” in his official paperwork.
It says he made excess contributions to his own campaign, accepted thousands of dollars into his personal bank account instead of a campaign account, and paid for campaign expenses with his personal credit card.
His financial agent at the time, Kevin Chant, was also hit with $600 in fines, including a fine for failing to return the $1,500 over-contribution to federal coffers for several years.
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