By Andrew Macdonald
The Progressive Conservatives say a consulting company led by NDP candidate Lisa Lachance has received $1.1 million from the federal government since 2021.
Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley PC candidate Scott Armstrong says Lachance received a salary of more than $100,000 last year from Nova Scotian taxpayers.
“While earning a six-figure salary as an MLA, Lachance’s consulting company received substantial funds from the federal government,” Armstrong
Before the writ dropped, Lachance was the MLA for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, and also served as deputy speaker. In 2023-24, they/them’s combined salary in those posts totalled $101,734.
NDP leader Claudia Chender “must immediately hold Lachance accountable for double dipping on taxpayers,” argued Armstrong. “You should not be paid by the government of Nova Scotia while billing the federal government for over a million dollars.”
The Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks lists Lachance as the president and secretary of Wisdom 2 Action. She is also listed as a company director.
Since 2021, the company received $1.1 million from the federal government over five projects, according to Tories, who listed the payments:
- $994,661 from the Women’s Program
- $97,745 from the Victim’s Fund
- $94,922 from the Women’s Program for a second project
- $6,144 from the Canada Summer Jobs program
Both projects funded through the Women’s Program ran through most of 2024. The projects involved legal awareness campaigns for federal legislation, running a national awareness campaign, and assessing the capacity of organizations that serve the 2SLGBTQ1+ community, among other goals.
“The projects aim to accomplish important goals, but do not avoid a massive conflict of interest for the MLA,” claim the Tories.
“There is a reason you cannot be an MLA and an MP simultaneously, it puts you in a conflict of interest,” said Armstrong. “Lachance is clearly in a conflict of interest when trying to serve the provincial and federal governments simultaneously.
“Throughout the campaign, the opposition parties are keen on propping up and protecting the federal government,” argue the Tories in a news release.
“We now see why Lachance chose to support the federal government in its disputes with the province of Nova Scotia,” said Armstrong. “Lisa has 1.1 million reasons to side with Trudeau instead of Nova Scotians.”
Lisa LaChance is the NDP candidate in Halifax Citadel. (Contributed).
