Summary of the Notice of Violation

Name of individual, corporation or entity	Loretta Friesen
Date of violation	April 1, 2020
Section of the Act	473
Baseline amount	$500
Aggravating factor	+1
Mitigating factor	N/A
AMP total amount	$1,000
Issued by	Commissioner of Canada Elections

Key facts of violation

As the financial agent of the Grande Prairie—Mackenzie Federal Green Party Association (the Association), Loretta Friesen was required, by virtue of section 473 of the Canada Elections Act (the Act) to provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the Registered Association Financial Transaction Return and other required documents (Returns) for the years 2018 and 2019, within six months after the day of the Association’s deregistration. As the Association was deregistered on September 30, 2019, the deadline to submit the Returns was March 31, 2020.

As of January 30, 2023, Elections Canada records indicate that the Returns have still not been submitted.

There are therefore reasonable grounds to believe that Loretta Friesen has failed to file the required Returns, as required by section 473 of the Act.

An aggravating factor was added to the AMP’s baseline amount, as the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections investigator informed Loretta Friesen, via an email sent on May 14, 2021, that she had not submitted Returns of the deregistered Association to the Chief Electoral Officer, as required by section 473 of the Act.

On June 18, 2021, Loretta Friesen communicated to the investigator that she would submit the Returns when she was ready and had the time. More than 18 months after this communication, and some three years after the deadline for submitting these Returns, Loretta Friesen has still not filed the required Returns, demonstrating a high degree of intention or negligence, which is an aggravating factor under paragraph 508.6(1)(a) of the Act.