O’Toole gave supporters and other party insiders taxpayer-funded contracts

Erin O’Toole’s bureau gave astir $240,000 worthy of taxpayer-funded contracts to Conservative insiders successful his archetypal six months connected the job, Global News has learned, adjacent portion O’Toole and galore of his MPs were hammering the Trudeau Liberals for sending taxpayer-funded contracts to Liberal-connected firms.

Moreover, O’Toole has allowed his lawman main of staff, Steve Outhouse, to proceed to run his ain communications concern which, among different things, has accepted contracts — paid for with funds donated by enactment members — to assistance 9 individuals vie successful Conservative information contests each portion continuing his taxpayer-funded employment successful the absorption leader’s bureau (OLO).

Global News examined the declaration past of the OLO for the archetypal six months of O’Toole’s clip successful bureau and researched the inheritance of immoderate of the individuals and entities which received those contracts.

The taxpayer-funded contracts, to Outhouse and the others, are a origin for interest among immoderate Conservative MPs and Conservative campaigners who, speaking connected the information of anonymity, judge that the contracts whitethorn undermine Conservative charges that the Trudeau Liberals are behaving unethically with national funds. Some besides voiced concerns astir the fairness of a apical adjutant to the person moving successful information fights.

“Someone should punctual O’Toole and his squad that we are expected to beryllium the enactment of accountability,” said 1 Harper-era Conservative present retired of authorities who was disappointed to larn of the Outhouse arrangement.

As the outpouring sitting of Parliament was closing, the Conservatives spent overmuch clip criticizing the Trudeau Liberals for giving a $75,000 declaration to a institution owned by Tom Pitfield, a adjacent person of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Mr. Pitfield is not conscionable the Prime Minister’s buddy; helium is besides joined to the erstwhile Liberal Party president,” O’Toole said successful the House of Commons connected June 22.  “It surely pays to beryllium a Liberal insider successful Ottawa these days.”

But, according to records published astatine the House of Commons website, it besides appears to wage to beryllium a Conservative insider.

For the past six months of Parliament’s fiscal year, ending March 30, which astir corresponds to O’Toole’s archetypal six months arsenic leader, respective contracts were awarded to Conservative insiders oregon entities with adjacent ties to O’Toole’s enactment run including:

• $83,000 to Jim Ross who was successful complaint of the O’Toole enactment camapaign’s tract operations. Ross is simply a elder advisor with a steadfast called ElectRight which provides elector interaction services to candidates and campaigns.
• $72,000 to ex-MP Alupa Clarke. Clarke was a Conservative MP from the Quebec City portion who won successful 2015 but was defeated successful 2019. He subsequently became O’Toole’s enactment run seat successful Quebec.
• $30,000 to strategical communications consultancy Pathos Strategy whose principals are Dan Robertson and Dimitri Soudas. Robertson play a cardinal advisory relation successful O’Toole’s enactment run and was subsquently hired by the OLO to supply communications advice. Soudas is champion known arsenic Stephen Harper’s longtime communications adjutant and Quebec advisor.
• $20,000 to Katarina Homolova, a nationalist relations advisor who worked successful the OLO erstwhile Andrew Scheer was leader.
• $18,000 to Intercede Communication, the steadfast founded by Outhouse successful 2016 to supply communications.

Among different things, Outhouse was main of unit to Harper-era fisheries curate Gail Shea and past went connected to beryllium the run manager for Leslyn Lewis’ tally for enactment of the Conservative Party. O’Toole would triumph that contention but Lewis, who finished third, was a amazingly beardown contender and Outhouse was wide acknowledged wrong the enactment for his tactical accomplishment successful supporting Lewis’ beardown finish.

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Chelsea Tucker, O’Toole’s manager of communications, said Outhouse’s steadfast was hired successful the autumn of 2020 to assistance with the modulation from Andrew Scheer’s enactment to O’Toole’s leadership. The determination was subsequently made to connection Outhouse employment arsenic O’Toole’s lawman main of staff.

But immoderate successful the enactment saw Outhouse’s assignment arsenic a motion to the societal blimpish helping of the party, the helping which Outhouse, a societal blimpish himself, powerfully cultivated during Lewis’ campaign.

Neither Tucker nor Outhouse would divulge Outhouse’s salary, but those who person worked successful absorption leaders’ offices accidental Outhouse is apt earning betwixt $140,000 and $160,000 a year, paid for retired of the House of Common budget.

But Outhouse’s firm, Intercede, could beryllium earning $50,000 to $75,000 a twelvemonth — oregon much — for providing services to assistance information contestants triumph the close to beryllium a Conservative standard-bearer successful the adjacent wide election.

“The House of Commons medication was consulted and successful accordance with the rules and the guidance given, Mr. Outhouse’s concern continued to enactment connected nominations,” Tucker said successful an e-mail. “Mr. O’Toole is simply a steadfast believer successful just nominations. All unit are invited to enactment successful the antiauthoritarian process if they truthful take arsenic agelong arsenic it doesn’t interfere with their enactment obligations and they don’t usage immoderate parliamentary resources.”

The Conservative Party of Canada runs the party’s information contests — vetting candidates, mounting predetermination dates, and truthful connected — and is administratively abstracted from the OLO, wherever Tucker works. Questions enactment to the enactment astir the appropriateness of a lawman main of unit getting involved, for a fee, successful enactment information contests were not answered.

Outhouse would not disclose the place of his clients but, successful a little email, confirmed that Intercede was hired to supply website development, email and calling services for 9 antithetic information contestants. Global News has contacted different providers of akin services who accidental that a information contestant, careless of the party, could expect to wage a consultancy similar Intercede anyplace betwixt $5,000 and $15,000 for those kinds of services depending connected the complexity of the information contest. Those fees would not beryllium paid by taxpayers but would beryllium paid by the donors to each information campaign.

Canada’s elections laws enactment a headdress connected spending by information contestants of $25,000 per contestant per race.

Multiple sources accidental 1 of Intercede’s clients is Toyin Crandell, who is among 4 individuals seeking the Conservative information successful the Ontario riding of Simcoe North. Simcoe North is held by the retiring Bruce Stanton and is wide seen arsenic 1 of the safest Conservative seats successful Ontario.

Global News has not yet been capable to scope Crandell. Crandell, the girl of a Christian pastor, is besides believed to beryllium supported by the societal blimpish helping of the party. Indeed, Lewis herself has endorsed Crandell’s candidacy arsenic has Edmonton-area MP Garnett Genuis, an MP with beardown societal blimpish credentials.

During the enactment contention arsenic good arsenic successful the conscionable concluded Parliamentary session, it was wide that those who telephone themselves societal conservatives had antithetic values and priorities than immoderate others successful the party, peculiarly connected issues specified arsenic  right-to-die authorities and the conversion therapy ban. That occasionally produced immoderate hostility wrong the Conservative parliamentary caucus.

That O’Toole’s lawman main of unit was moving astatine what 1 Conservative described arsenic “a broadside hustle” to bring much societal conservatives into the caucus has raised eyebrows among immoderate MPs and others successful the enactment who spoke to Global News connected information of anonymity.

Outhouse said that of the 9 clients his steadfast provided services to for information contests, 3 were winners, 3 were losers, and the different 3 person yet to finish. And, helium said, not each would qualify themselves arsenic societal conservaties. Indeed, 1 of those — not a societal blimpish — is Melissa Lantsman, who is the nominated Conservative campaigner successful the Toronto-area riding of Thornhill. Lantsman confirmed that she utilized Intercede to triumph her information contest.

The Simcoe North Conservative information is besides being contested by Adam Chambers, a erstwhile adjutant to erstwhile Conservative concern curate Jim Flaherty, who, coincidentally, is described arsenic “a adjacent idiosyncratic friend” of O’Toole’s.

The Simcoe North contention information contention volition wrapper up this weekend.