Manitoba Tories used legislature room for campaign: elections commissioner

Manitoba’s election commissioner says the Progressive Conservatives didn’t follow provincial laws when they campaigned at the legislature building ahead of the 2023 provincial election.

A former provincial secretary with the now-governing NDP filed a complaint alleging that the Tory caucus used a room in the legislature for a partisan political event.

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The decision says government workers were told the event was to engage with Manitoba students and that reasonable steps were made to ensure no campaign activity would take place.

Commissioner Bill Bowles says the co-chair and campaign director of the Tories election campaign made a presentation at the event, which included partisan remarks about the upcoming vote and an invitation to become involved.

The commissioner recommended that the PC party work with government staff to come up with a price on renting the room that could be paid into a consolidated fund.

A spokesperson for the party says it’s reviewing the ruling.