Elections Alberta (EA) has fined advocacy group Take Back Alberta (TBA) and its director David Parker $112,500 on allegations of accepting money from overseas and misrepresenting its finances.
Parker condemned the fines as “ridiculous” and political “lawfare.”
TBA and its executives face a total of 11 fines. Parker has been personally fined three times, a total of $7,500, for allegedly knowingly making false statements on financial reports submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer and exceeding the $300,000 aggregate limit.
Jonathan Heidebrecht, who EA lists as CFO along with Parker, has one fine of $500 for allegedly knowingly made a false statement of quarterly financial reports with the Chief Electoral Officer.
“We didn’t do political advertising. If we did, the people who donated were donating to operations, and it is absolutely unjust for them to be prosecuted because of a new interpretation by Elections Alberta,” said Parker, per the Canadian Press.
“There are no rules in Alberta for societies to not be able to receive money from people outside of Alberta. There’s rules that you cannot receive money for political advertising.”
Parker said he’s considering whether he will appeal or challenge the fines.
