EDMONTON — An Alberta judge has found a former United Conservative candidate and five party donors to be in contempt for not attending interviews as part of an investigation into alleged irregular political donations made in 2023.
A decision issued this week by Justice Peter Michalyshyn says for the past year the provincial elections commissioner has been investigating donations made to the party by people allegedly using money that wasn’t their own leading up to the 2023 provincial election.
The decision says the commissioner’s investigation began in the spring of last year but it’s not clear if the candidate, Ali Haymour, and the five party donors are the targets of the investigation.
It says the commissioner sought to interview Haymour and the other donors as it was believed they hold relevant information and evidence.
According to the decision Haymour and the other donors argued they didn’t need to participate in the commissioner’s investigation due to recent changes to provincial election financing rules the Alberta government made this past spring.
Michalyshyn’s decision says the changes might affect potential outcomes of the investigation, but it doesn’t reduce the commissioner’s power to compel people for interviews and the candidate and donors had no legal reason not to participate.
Among other things, the legislated changes prevent the elections commissioner from imposing penalties and sanctions on those who break election financing rules if one year has passed since the commissioner received the complaint.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
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