Ex-candidate Clarke defiant on Sask. Party’s $15,000 fine

Rob Clarke, the former Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate who is facing $15,000 in fines for failing to file his campaign’s financial disclosures on time, says the party cannot penalize him more than he has already paid it.

Clarke — who dropped out of the leadership race in December, but remains on the ballot — was suspended from speaking at the party convention this Saturday and fined $5,000, plus $1,000 for each day he does not file his financial return, which was due Jan. 15.

In a statement, Clarke said that he does not expect to secure 10 per cent of the vote when the ballots are counted, meaning he is “highly unlikely” to recover the $15,000 deposit he paid to secure his nomination and officially enter the leadership race.

“Essentially, the party cannot fine me more than I have already ceded to it by bowing out. In the interest of transparency, however, I want to submit my financial numbers anyway, though I am not obligated to do so,” Clarke said in the statement.

While it will be difficult to fine Clarke beyond the forfeiture of his $15,000, the party expects him to abide by its financial disclosure rules, which all candidates are obliged to follow, Saskatchewan Party executive director Patrick Bundrock said in a statement.

“Mr. Clarke is a former Member of Parliament and a former RCMP officer, and we expect him to abide by the campaign rules,” he said.

According to an unofficial financial summary attached to his statement, Clarke’s campaign raised and spent $51,915. The bulk of that money was dedicated to the party’s $10,000 entrance fee and $15,000 deposit.

Most of the remainder, $17,710, went toward paying staff.

That is comparable to the $50,967 raised by leadership candidate Tina Beaudry-Mellor. The remaining four candidates — Ken Cheveldayoff, Alanna Koch, Scott Moe and Gord Wyant — have each accumulated more than $220,000 in donations.

A Sask. Party spokesman confirmed Clarke had not as of Wednesday afternoon filed his financial documents.

Clarke endorsed Cheveldayoff after dropping out. In response to concerns that he may have been using his resources to support the Saskatoon MLA’s campaign, Clarke said: “At no time did we incur expenses on behalf of, or in support of, another candidate.”

The party said Monday it informed Clarke of the suspension and accumulating fines on Jan. 17. Clarke responded by saying he was “wasn’t aware” of any fine and that he would follow up with the party “right now.”