As Liberal leadership date of March 9 approaches, the party is cleaning house by booting a has-been political operative the former party MP Ruby Dhalla, who with allegedly nefarious backing styled herself as a female Canadian Donald Trump, mimicking many of the US President’s extreme policies, mainly targeting immigrants with mass deportations. A shocked Dhalla called the allegations against her campaign ‘are false, they’re fictitious and they’re fabricated, after she was disqualified from the Liberal Leadership race Friday. The party said in a press release that Liberal Leadership Vote Committee unanimously made the decision following “an extensive process and review, including interviews, questionnaires, and an opportunity for Dr. Dhalla to directly address the committees.” On Thursday, the party confirmed it was withholding $21,000 in contributions to her campaign as it investigated whether 12 donors surpassed maximum contribution amounts. 

By PD Raj – Senior Reporter DESIBUZZCanada 

With News Files

TORONTO – As Liberal leadership date of March 9 approaches, the party is cleaning house by booting a has-been political operative the former party MP Ruby Dhalla, who with allegedly nefarious backing styled herself as a female Canadian Donald Trump, mimicking many of the US President’s extreme policies, mainly targeting immigrants with mass deportations. 

A shocked Dhalla called the allegations against her campaign ‘are false, they’re fictitious and they’re fabricated, after she was disqualified from the Liberal Leadership race Friday.

The party said in a press release that Liberal Leadership Vote Committee unanimously made the decision following “an extensive process and review, including interviews, questionnaires, and an opportunity for Dr. Dhalla to directly address the committees.”

The committee, in a joint sitting with the Leadership Expense Committee, says that Dhalla “was in breach of 10 violations of the National Leadership Rules, Leadership Vote Rules, and the Leadership Expense Rules.”

 “The violations include concerns about alleged violations of the Canada Elections Act, certain other election finance matters, non-disclosure of material facts, and inaccurate financial reporting,” they added.

On Thursday, the party confirmed it was withholding $21,000 in contributions to her campaign as it investigated whether 12 donors surpassed maximum contribution amounts. 

The probe came after Elections Canada published the donation data it received from the candidates up until Feb. 9. The data showed 12 donations under a tab called “Statement of Contributions returned to Contributors or Remitted to the Chief Electoral Officer.”

Of the 12 names on the list, three pairs share the same last name and postal code. All 12 are recorded as donating $1,750, the maximum amount permissible by law.

Dhalla told CTV News that she learnt of her disqualification from “watching the news,” adding that as someone running for the leadership race and to be the next prime minister, “the party would have had the courtesy to inform me directly, instead of having me learn about this from media reports.”

She added that the allegations are “fictitious” and “false,” and the disqualification is an effort from the Liberal party to keep her off the debate stage and ballot in order to “complete the coronation” for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to become the party’s leader.

“I was the only outsider in the race that was speaking about progressive policies that I believe are the need of the hour in our country,” she said. “It is very evident that the party did not like that, and they did not want me to bring those progressive policies to the debate stage in Montreal.”

Dan Arnold, a former Trudeau staffer and host of the podcast Race to Replace, told CBC News the Liberal Party likely has solid evidence to so boldly disqualify a candidate. 

“In these situations, if the party is going to make a big step to disqualify someone, they’re going to make sure they have legal cover for it,” he said.

Arnold, also chief strategy officer at Pollara, told CBC News Dhalla’s dramatic exit likely won’t change the dynamics of the race.

“I think the only person who really saw Ruby Dhalla as a serious candidate in this race was Ruby Dhalla,” he said. “There really was no one out there who believed she had any chance to win or even finish in the top three of this race.” 

Dhalla posted to social media saying the decision was “disappointing,” considering it was “leaked to the media.”

“I have just been informed by the Liberal Party of Canada that I have been disqualified from the leadership race,” she wrote on X. “This decision is both shocking and deeply disappointing, especially since it was leaked to the media.”

 “I will continue to stand up for Canadians and fight for Canada,” she added.

Dhalla can appeal the decision under the party’s rules. 

The remaining candidates are former MP Frank Baylis, former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former House leader Karina Gould. The four remaining candidates are set to meet on Monday and Tuesday in a highly anticipated debate, one in French and the other in English.