Leadership fund-raising issues continue to haunt the Liberals.
According to a story by Glen McGregor in Canwest newspapers today, six MPs who ran for the Liberal leadership in 2006 - including eventual winner Stéphane Dion - have missed the year-end deadline to repay loans made to their campaigns.
Marc Mayrand, the chief electoral officer, had granted extensions to Mr. Dion as well as MPs Gerard Kennedy, Martha Hall-Findlay, Maurizio Bevilacqua, Joe Volpe and Hedy Fry that expired on New Year's Eve.
The candidates' inability to repay the loans has left them in something of a bind because Mr. Mayrand is not allowed to grant further extensions.
Now they must go to a judge and ask to be permitted to pay the loans, if they believe they can raise the money. If they don't do that, the amounts owing will be considered campaign contributions and that will put them in violation of the Canada Election Act, which caps donations at $1,100 per contributor per campaign.
The caps, which were brought in by the Conservatives, make it difficult for candidates to raise funds because they must get small amounts from many individual donors.
But some of the Liberal leadership candidates have repaid their loans and closed the books on their bid. They include Leader Michael Ignatieff, and MPs Bob Rae, Carolyn Bennett and Scott Brison. MP Ken Dryden has until the end of June to repay his loans.
Dan Lauzon, a spokesman for the federal Liberal Party, told The Globe on Tuesday that the candidates who have not repaid their loans will be getting some help to sort out the problems they now face.
"It's important to point out that though each leadership campaign is solely responsible for its debt repayment, the Liberal Party is working with Elections Canada, former leadership candidates and their financial agents to facilitate fundraising and the repayment process in order to ensure full compliance with the Canada Elections Act," Mr. Lauzon said in an e-mail.
"I would also point out that the party itself is now debt free and on solid financial footing. Much of this success is due to the fact that our leadership candidates, who are among our most valued caucus members, often chose to put the party's interest and the interest of their riding associations ahead of their own."