MP Derek Sloan calls on Conservative Party to return donations he claims were raised in his name, CPC says donations made to association, not Sloan

Adam Prudhomme
Editor

Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Derek Sloan is calling on the Conservative Party of Canada to return $50,000 worth of donations he claims he raised while with the party.

Now an independent, Sloan was acclaimed to run for a second term as H-LA’s Conservative candidate back in December. The following month he was removed from the party by Conservative Party of Canada leader Erin O’Toole. Among the reasons listed for Sloan’s removal was the fact his campaign accepted a donation from a known white supremacist while Sloan was making a bid to be leader of the Conservative party, part of a ‘pattern of destructive behaviour’ O’Toole said.

“Hastings-Lennox & Addington Independent MP Derek Sloan is calling on CPC Leader Erin O’Toole to address a growing issue involving donations from local and national conservative supporters of Derek Sloan, which instead will now be used by Shelby Kramp in the upcoming election, since she has become the acclaimed candidate of choice for Mr. O’Toole,” a statement released by Derek Sloan reads.

Following Sloan’s removal from the party, Shelby Kramp-Neuman was named as this riding’s Conservative candidate for the next federal election.

“To instead keep those donations for the Kramp campaign shows a new low in Canadian politics and proves that Mr. O’Toole’s shameful approach towards MP Sloan was never actually about principles – as he claimed several months ago.  MP Derek Sloan calls for the immediate return of all related funds in the HLA CPC EDA coffers to the original donors – which he would call for to occur before the writ is dropped to kick off the next election. Failure to do so would not only show a lack of principles on behalf of Erin O’Toole but would also appear to indicate that candidate Shelby Kramp is failing to act in an ethical fashion by not recognizing the receipt of those donations in MP Sloan’s name for her campaign,” Sloan’s statement continued.

Josiah Martinoski, regional organizer for the Conservative Party of Canada’s Eastern and Northern Ontario region refuted Sloan’s statement.

“Outside of an election, Canadians donate to a riding association, not an individual,” said Martinoski. “The donations made were clearly made, and clearly understood to be made, to the Hastings—Lennox and Addington Conservative riding association.”