A long way from home – how things are done in Canada

Published: June 26, 2015 at 12:25am

dean del mastro

A former member of the Canadian federal parliament, Dean Del Mastro, has been sentenced to one month in jail and four months of house arrest, followed by 18 months probation, along with an order to pay $10,000 to the Peterborough Electoral District Association, for exceeding spending limits in the 2008 election campaign, failing to report a contribution of $21,000 to his campaign, and knowingly submitting a falsified document about this.

These are all violations of the Canada Elections Act.

The judge who sentenced him called his offences an “affront to the principles of Canada’s democratic system” and “the very antithesis of democracy”.

“This type of cheating and lying will result in serious sanctions. … Custody is required to reflect the need for denunciation and deterrence,” the judge said.