Ignatieff will return vote subsidy dollars from ballots cast for Liberal “featherheads” candidate
Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau is calling on Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff to reject every cent of the tax-payer subsidy his party would receive from votes cast in the Quebec riding of Manicouagan for Liberal candidate Andre Forbes who called First Nations people “featherheads.”
(Photo: Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau)
APTN National News
OTTAWA-Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau is calling on Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff to reject every cent of the tax-payer subsidy his party would receive from votes cast in the Quebec riding of Manicouagan for Liberal candidate Andre Forbes who called First Nations people “featherheads.”
A Liberal spokesman said early Wednesday evening that the party would return to Elections Canada any money linked to the per-vote subsidy from ballots cast for Forbes in Manicouagan.
Each federal party that earns more than two per cent of the vote receives about $2 for each ballot cast for them as part of an electoral financial system created by former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien.
Brazeau said the Liberal party should not accept any money flowing from votes cast for Forbes, who continues to be the Liberal candidate despite Ignatieff’s attempts to dislodge him. Under election rules candidates can’t be replace this late in the contest.
“The racist and hurtful comments by Mr. Ignatieff’s candidate in Manicouagan set our society back and threaten to undo the progress we have made together,” said Brazeau, in a statement. “To think that Mr. Ignatieff’s Liberal Party will now financially benefit from each vote received by Mr. Forbes is an insult to all Canadians and taxpayers. This isn’t the vision of Canada that we believe in, and this is hardly the example of the Canada that we want our children to know and love.”
Brazeau also called on Ignatieff to urge all Liberals in the riding not to vote for Forbes.
Ignatieff tried to remove Forbes from beneath the Liberal banner after the NDP released a list of published comments made by Forbes over the years.
Forbes, however, has refused to step aside.
Liberal spokesman Marc Roy said the Liberals would return the portion of the subsidy coming from Forbes’ vote.
“Any vote subsidies that come in will be returned to Elections Canada,” said Roy. “For Elections Canada procedures, we can’t remove him from the ballot. He is not running on the Liberal slate and is not endorsed.”
Forbes called First Nations people “featherheads” and questioned their work ethic.
He told APTN National News he would not have made the comments if he could go back in time.
The Liberal party did not return request for comments.
