208

NUMBERED COMPANIES In 2003, 55555 Inc. — a company attached to the co-chairs of Paul Martin’s leadership campaign — gave $2,974,341 to the federal Liberals. Since then, donations made by all-but-anonymous numbered companies have been outlawed at the federal level and in most provinces and territories. In the Wild West that is Saskatchewan, however, they are still accepted. And between 2006 and 2016, there were 208 donations made by numbered companies. Nearly all of these contributions — 195, adding up to more than $300,000 — went to the Saskatchewan Party. The other numbered companies supported the NDP ($39,800), the Liberals ($400) and Progressive Conservatives ($300). Determining who is behind a numbered company requires a corporate record search. That’s free when companies are registered with the federal government, but in Saskatchewan it can cost hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, at least the province does provide information on who has registered the company — in the Yukon, certificates of status do not need to include a corporation’s directors, shareholders, or even its address.