Pallister campaign chief got undisclosed government work before cabinet clerk appointment By: Carol Sanders Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2020 Last Modified: 10:58 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2020 Updates

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This article was published 15/06/2020 (1656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Brian Pallister’s campaign manager was handed a previously undisclosed $25,000 government contract prior to the Manitoba premier appointing him as the province’s top civil servant.

While the Tories argue there is nothing improper about the work awarded to David McLaughlin, the disclosure made on the government website is raising more questions about the man who has been cabinet clerk less than a month.

News that McLaughlin received a $25,000 direct award contract emerged a month after he started his job as clerk of the executive council May 20 at a starting salary of $177,000.

According to the province’s online disclosure of government contracts, it was awarded May 27 to David McLaughlin Consulting by Manitoba Finance. The stated “rationale” is “provider possesses specific and or unique knowledge and/or abilities.”

 

 

McLaughlin is Pallister’s former election campaign director, and the premier was criticized for politicizing the civil service when he named him the province’s new clerk of the executive council May 14. 

The cabinet order approving the appointment was signed May 20. A week later, McLaughlin was awarded the $25,000 contract from the province for consulting, without explanation. 

When asked about the timing, the premier’s spokesperson said it was the result of a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — and the contract had been awarded prior to McLaughlin’s appointment.

In February, McLaughlin received a tendered government consulting contract worth $25,000.

The original contract is dated Nov. 17, 2019, and was publicly posted Feb. 20.

The contract extension awarded May 27 is dated March 20, but processing was delayed due to the pandemic, the spokesperson said. “David did not bill or receive any contract funds once he was appointed clerk.”

They were both awarded for his role as technical adviser to the expert advisory council for the implementation of Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan, the spokesperson said.

It was the second time in a week the spokesperson was asked to explain questionable deals involving a top civil servant.

Last week, the Free Press reported Michael Kowalson, the province’s director of stakeholder relations, was paid for work on Conservative MP Marty Morantz’s 2019 campaign through companies registered in Kowalson’s name.

The premier’s spokesperson would not comment on whether Pallister had been aware of Kowalson’s campaign work at the time, but said the premier instructed him to immediately remit the equivalent of his salary — which pays between $141,262 and $177,000 a year — to the government as compensation for any involvement and time he spent on the last federal election campaign.

Kowalson reportedly paid the money back and apologized to the Progressive Conservative caucus.

“There’s an attitude of impunity in this government.”
– Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont

The disclosure of contracts to, and moonlighting by, top provincial officials come at time when the province is calling for public-service workforce reductions in response to the pandemic. Pallister’s austerity measures have been criticized by unions, academics and business leaders in Manitoba.

Opposition parties have complained about the government’s lack of accountability with the house adjourned until Oct. 7, and restricting news media access in the name of physical distancing.

“There’s an attitude of impunity in this government,” said Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont. The Liberal party has filed a complaint with the Manitoba ombudsman about Kowalson’s moonlighting.

“It’s, ‘We won a second majority — we can do whatever we want. No one will stop us,'” said Lamont. His party has been digging into the government’s contracts and Elections Canada documents showing Morantz’s campaign paid Kowalson $7,970.47 in expenses and wages from Sept.12 to Oct. 21, several months after Kowalson was promoted from manager to director of stakeholder relations.

Several payments were made to Kowintco Inc. — a company Kowalson owns — for meals, entertainment and election-night events, as well as personal expenses, including travel, to Kowalson himself. Another Kowalson-owned company, North American Franchise Sans Group Ltd., was paid more than $5,000 in salaries, wages and consulting for campaign management.

University of Calgary political science associate Prof. Melanee Thomas said governments can be bold and act with impunity if opposition parties are perceived as weak.

Thomas said she sees parallels between Manitoba and Alberta provincial politics.

“They know the public is not going to like this very much,” she said. “But who are they going to turn to?”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

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