The Green Party of Nova Scotia is getting another shot at handing an assignment in on time before being expelled by the province’s electoral officer.
Christine McCulloch warned party representatives during a meeting yesterday morning that they had better file candidate expense reports by the Aug. 18 deadline if they want the Greens to be in her good books. The party has been under review since June for failing to file financial records on time.
“The next test will be: how are you going to perform with the next requirement for reporting?” Elections Nova Scotia spokesman Dana Doiron explained yesterday.
He said McCulloch and director of electoral finance Bruce Anderson hoped their meeting with party leader Ryan Watson and official agent Kathryn Herbert would show that “they’ve organized themselves in such a way that they would be able to meet their obligations.”
“To be blunt, there was no indication that significant changes have been made,” Doiron said.
Nevertheless, McCulloch told them she won’t decide on whether or not the Greens should be deregistered until she sees how they deal with the deadline.
“They continue to be under review,” Doiron said.
The Greens were supposed to send Elections Nova Scotia paperwork, including donor contributions, in April but didn’t file until July after McCulloch threatened to deregister the party.
Party Leader Ryan Watson, who announced his resignation last month, said yesterday the Greens are “on track” to file by Aug. 18 and another deadline in October.
Watson said he hopes to end his career as leader on “an upbeat note” at his party’s annual general meeting this fall. “It’s definitely been important to see this through and get this situation sorted out.”
Doiron said reviews of provincial political parties are uncommon, emphasizing the importance of accountability when public money is at stake.
