MP Jaime Battiste has been fined four times for breaking election rules during his bid for the Liberal nomination in his Nova Scotia constituency in 2019. Federal Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard revealed that Battiste was penalized a total of $600 for four infractions, which included exceeding the maximum personal donation limit to his campaign, depositing campaign contributions into his personal bank account, personally covering multiple campaign expenses, and submitting a misleading declaration to Elections Canada.
According to election regulations, individuals can donate up to $1,600 annually to a political candidate or party, with candidates able to contribute an additional $1,000. Simard determined that Battiste had contributed over $4,000 to his own campaign during the nomination period. Additionally, Battiste received over $8,000 in donations in his personal bank account before transferring the funds to his campaign account, a task only permitted for a candidate’s financial agent.
Furthermore, only a candidate’s financial agent is authorized to make payments for campaign-related expenses. However, Simard discovered that Battiste used his personal credit card to cover expenses exceeding $700.
In response, Battiste acknowledged the errors made during the 2019 nomination process in a statement to CBC News, admitting that both he and his financial agent had made mistakes but took corrective actions to the best of their ability. He emphasized his learning from these mistakes, highlighting his subsequent successful election runs and his candidacy approval for the 2025 leadership position.
Simard mitigated the fines considering Battiste’s cooperation with the investigation, leading to a reduced penalty amount. Battiste confirmed that he has paid the fines in full.