Senator Doug Finley and three other Conservatives charged with breaking the Election Act
An unnamed Conservative source is telling national media outlets that four senior campaign officials and the party have been charged with violating the Election Act's spending limit in the 2006 election.
This is the campaign that resulted in Stephen Harper becoming prime minister.
CBC, CTV, the Globe and Mail, and Postmedia have all given the Conservative source anonymity.
This person claimed not to be surprised about the charges, which come just as federal parties are preparing for a possible spring election.
According to these reports, the four people charged are Sen. Doug Finley, Sen. Irving Gerstein, Michael Donnison, and Susan Kehoe.
Finley, a former Rolls Royce Canada executive, was the party's campaign manager for the 2006 and 2008 elections. He's married to Human Resources and Skills Development Minister Diane Finley.
The federal Conservatives allegedly divided $1.3 million in advertising expenses between dozens of Conservative candidates. This was disallowed by Elections Canada, which ruled this was a national party expense.
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Nice that this comes down on a Friday. Nice. :(