Liberal lobbyist group the Laurier Club hosted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's annual Calgary Stampede fundraiser on July 7, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. .Lobbyists pay $1,700 per year to join the Laurier Club, which gets them access to Trudeau at events such as the one held in Calgary, according to a statement. .Of the 96 Liberal donors at the Calgary Stampede fundraiser, fewer than half (43) were from Calgary, with Elections Canada saying in a report more than one-third were from out of Alberta, including one-fifth from Ontario. .Ottawa lobbyist and consultant donors in attendance included Andrew Balfour from Rubicon Strategy, Tim Barber from Bluesky Strategy Group, Bruce Hartley from Prospectus Associates, Richard Maksymetz from Alar Strategy Group, Sheamus Murphy from Counsel Public Affairs, Julian Ovens from Crestview Strategy, and former Canadian National Railway lobbyist David Miller. .Ottawa contributors included Boissonnault advisor Morgan Breitkreutz, Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay’s office intern McKinley Hawkins, Prime Minister’s Office aide Cordell Johnson, and former gender equality minister Maryam Monsef’s aide Ashleigh White. .Other out-of-town lobbyists included Margareta Dovgal of Vancouver’s Resource Works Society, Thoren Hudyma of Vancouver’s Global Public Affairs, former New Brunswick premier Brian Gallant’s chief of staff Jordan O’Brien, Dan Ouimet of Toronto’s Canadian Bankers Association, and Christian Von Donat of Toronto’s Impact Public Affairs. .The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs lobbyist Kate Dalgleish and Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee lobbyists Rachel Chertkoff and Mitchell Gould donated to the event. .The Liberal politicians who contributed to the Stampede fundraiser were MPs Parm Bains (Steveston-Richmond East, BC), Jamie Battiste (Sydney-Victoria, NS), George Chahal (Calgary-Skyview, AB), Paul Chiang (Markham-Unionville, ON), Brendan Hanley (Yukon), Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver-Granville, BC), Ya’ara Saks (York Centre, ON), and former MP Gerard Kennedy (Parkdale-High Park, ON)..Trudeau said he was happy to be attending Chahal’s Stampede Breakfast on July 8. .READ MORE: Trudeau thanks supporters at Stampede breakfast, hecklers shout out.“George is an incredible voice for Calgarians as part of our government and our party,” he said. .“But the reality is George needs reinforcements.”
