The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that the American subsidiaries and employees of at least 17 Canadian companies gave more than $2-million (U.S.) in United States political donations over the past two years.
The Globe's Adrian Morrow writes that their contributions went to a Super PAC running attack ads that demonized Latin American asylum seekers and labelled universal health care a "radical" idea, to a group accused of using dirty campaign tactics in one city-level race and to nearly every congressional leader from both parties.
Some of the donations came straight from corporate treasuries.
Others came from company-run political action committees. These are groups set up by businesses to collect money from their employees and direct it to political candidates.
The donations tie Canadian firms to incendiary, hyperpartisan political campaigning they would likely never support in Canada.
Canadian companies with U.S. subsidiaries making Super Pac contributions are EnCana, WSP Global, Toronto-Dominion Bank, CGI Group, Bank of Montreal, Manulife Financial, Resolute Forest Products, Barrick Gold, Royal Bank of Canada, Sun Life Financial, Great-West Lifeco, Power Financial and Bombardier.
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