Tim Houston leadership campaign fined $2,500 for breaking rules

The campaign for Tory leadership candidate Tim Houston was fined $2,500 on Monday for violating a rule about contributions.

In a letter from leadership co-chairs Chris d'Entremont and Tara Erskine, it is noted the Central Nova electoral district association paid $1,500 for a band that played at a street party Houston's team hosted last month during the federal Conservative convention in Halifax.

The ruling notes contributions are only to come from individuals who are residents of Nova Scotia. It prohibits contributions from non-Nova Scotia residents, anonymous donors, corporations, associations, charities or trade unions.

"We find that the Houston campaign did accept an unauthorized contribution from a federal EDA in the amount of $1,500 in violation of the leadership selection rules," reads the letter.

The fine represents the cost of the band as well as an additional $1,000, which will be deducted from Houston's deposit.

In a telephone interview, Houston said he respects the decision and will abide by it, but he doesn't agree with it.

Agree to disagree

"I just don't agree with it on the grounds that Central Nova benefited from the event," he said.

"It was important to Central Nova to kind of build their brand again and they wanted to do that as part of the federal convention where all eyes were on Halifax."

Rather than choosing to appeal, Houston said he's focusing on the final weeks of the campaign. More than 11,000 party members are eligible to select a new leader on Oct. 27 during a convention in Halifax. The party said last week it has 11,601 members going into the leadership vote.

The complaint was filed by the campaign of a competing leadership hopeful, John Lohr.

In a statement, Lohr said he was disappointed Houston's team broke the rules and noted it was the sixth time the campaign has been found to have done so during the race.

"This violation of the rules is the most serious yet, with Tim Houston himself participating in a campaign event partially funded with money that was banned from the leadership race," Lohr said.

"It's easy to say that we need to do politics differently, but breaking the rules six times during a campaign, unfortunately, pretty much represents the worst things that people think about politicians."

'Serious ethical problems'

Leadership candidate Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin issued a statement saying Houston's team is "plagued with serious ethical problems."

"For the good of the party, Tim Houston needs to own up to this longstanding pattern of bad behaviour and tell PC party members what he will do to fix it."

In a statement of his own, Cape Breton Regional Municipality mayor and leadership candidate Cecil Clarke said the matter "is embarrassing to our party and its members."

"Tim Houston owes every member of the PC party an apology for these serious, continuous violations. To win the next election, our party must select a leader Nova Scotians can trust. Nova Scotians will have a hard time trusting someone who's broken the rules so many times."

Julie Chaisson is also running for the party's leadership.

Claiming a big lead

Houston said analysis by his campaign indicates he has the majority of party support heading into a leadership convention.

He said he's been under constant scrutiny because his opponents perceive him as the biggest competition. 

"Unfortunately, it becomes a way of life for some political operatives to make political noise, but it's not something I've been interested in."

Read more articles at CBC Nova Scotia