Cape Breton MP fined for 4 election rule violations stemming from 2019 nomination

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 3:23 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

MP Jaime Battiste has received 4 fines for predetermination regularisation violations stemming backmost to his tally for the Liberal information successful his Nova Scotia riding successful 2019.

Federal Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard announced that Battiste had been fined a full of $600 for 4 violations, including personally donating much than the maximum bounds to his campaign, accepting run donations into his idiosyncratic slope account, personally paying for a fig of run expenses and returning a declaration to Elections Canada that contained mendacious oregon misleading information.

Individuals are lone allowed to donate $1,600 to a governmental campaigner oregon enactment per year, but candidates themselves tin donate an further $1,000. Simard recovered that during the information process, Battiste had donated much than $4,000 to his campaign.

Battiste besides accepted much than $8,000 successful donations to his idiosyncratic slope relationship earlier transferring the funds to his campaign’s account. As per Canada’s predetermination rules, lone a candidate’s fiscal cause tin judge run donations.

A fiscal cause is besides the lone 1 allowed to contented outgo for run expenses. But Simard recovered that Battiste paid for a fig of expenses — totalling much than $700 — utilizing his idiosyncratic recognition card.

Battiste told CBC News successful a connection that some helium and his fiscal cause made “mistakes” during the 2019 information process “and each effort was made to close them to the top grade possible.”

“I person learned from the mistakes made during the archetypal Liberal information process successful 2019, person since tally successful 3 palmy elections and was greenlit arsenic a campaigner for enactment 2025, for which I americium immensely proud,” helium said.

Simard lowered the magnitude of the 4 fines owed to mitigating factors, including that the MP co-operated with the commissioner’s investigation. Battiste said the fines person been paid successful full.