Conservative “In-And-Out” Tactic Cost Taxpayers $100,000

Elections Canada paid out over $100,000 to Tory riding associations before the agency realized something was amiss.

The “in-and-out” scandal plaguing the Conservatives gained momentum Monday with reports that 17 Tory candidates in the 2006 election were improperly reimbursed sizeable sums of money, according to Elections Canada documents. Last month four Conservative campaign leaders were charged with moving money through local ridings to fund the national campaign in order to exceed federal spending limits by $1 million. Candidates are entitled to reimbursement of 60 per cent of the funds they spend, and the documents show Elections Canada paid out over $100,000 to Conservative candidates even though the money they reported spending locally was immediately sent back to the national campaign. Elections Canada stopped the payments once the agency believed the Conservatives were improperly reporting spending.