A photo op at a St. Jacobs beer company is brewing up a storm in the political arena.
In early September, Kitchener Centre MPP Daiene Vernile visited the Block Three Brewing Company in St. Jacobs for a funding announcement.
With her was Raj Saini, the Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre – and that’s the issue that has riled up Michael Harris, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Kitchener-Conestoga.
Harris says Vernile broke rules laid down by Ontario’s integrity commissioner regarding the use of Queen’s Park resources during the federal election campaign.
“It’s one thing to have a horse in the race, it’s another to push them over the finish line using taxpayer-funded resources,” Harris said Friday.
“I think it’s inappropriate, and so I’ve asked the integrity commissioner to look into it.”
There are a number of rules laid out regarding the use of government resources for partisan campaigns.
Incumbent MPs and MPPs seeking re-election have to open separate offices for their campaigns, and can’t seduce voters during paid government work.
Additionally, the integrity commissioner warned MPPs not to use government computers, telephones or social media for partisan purposes.
Vernile posted a photo of herself and Saini at Block Three to her Twitter feed, which is linked to her government website.
Both Vernile and Saini declined interviews for this story, instead sending CTV News similarly worded statements.
“These were non-partisan, public events that were well attended by many members of the community. I had no formal role in these events – I was simply there to show my support for our great community,” Saini’s said.
“It’s very disappointing to see MPP Mike Harris spreading misinformation. These events were non-partisan, open to the public, and attended by many in our community,” Vernile’s statement read.
Harris disagrees with the idea that the Block Three event was open to the public.
A spokesperson for the brewery said that the event was invitation-only – and not only was it not open to the public, the company was specifically told not to invite any candidates in the federal election.
The Saini campaign also sent CTV News photos from Harris’ Facebook account, showing him posing with Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht during the 2011 federal campaign – all from public events like the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival.
