Updated and Revised Complaint about the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) Funding Political Parties and Complaint against APEGS Staff Who Authorized the Funding
Below is a revised and updated complaint by me about the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS) funding political parties in Saskatchewan. Furthermore, this is a complaint by me against APEGS staff who authorized this expenditure. I first made a complaint about this on January 1, 2020 and it still hasn’t been processed. Robert McDonald has not responded to inquiries about this complaint. Which APEGS committee can process these complaints?
I saw that APEGS gave $1180 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2020:
I saw that APEGS gave nothing to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2020:
I saw that APEGS gave $6380 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2019:
I saw that the APEGS gave $603.62 to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2019:
I saw that the APEGS gave $3930 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2018:
I saw that the APEGS gave $260.80 to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2018:
I saw that the APEGS gave $7680 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2017:
Also, I saw that APEGS gave $1567.02 to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2017:
I saw that APEGS gave $4530 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2016:
I saw that APEGS gave $924.32 to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2016:
I saw that APEGS gave $7680 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2015:
https://cdn.elections.sk.ca/finance/E-521%20Saskatchewan%20Party%202015%20As%20Reviewed%20web.pdf
I saw that APEGS gave nothing to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2015:
https://cdn.elections.sk.ca/finance/NDP%20Party_Fiscal%20Period%20Return_2015_FINAL.pdf
I saw that APEGS gave $2700.70 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2014:
https://cdn.elections.sk.ca/finance/Sask%20Party_Fiscal%20Period%20Return_2014_As%20Reviewed.pdf
I saw that APEGS gave nothing to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2014:
https://cdn.elections.sk.ca/finance/NDP_Fiscal%20Period%20Return_2014_As%20Reviewed.pdf
I haven’t checked yet how much, if anything, APEGS gave to political parties in previous years.
From 2014 to 2020, APEGS gave $34,080.70 to the Saskatchewan Party and $3355.76 to the Saskatchewan NDP. The Saskatchewan Party received more than 10 times as much money as the Saskatchewan NDP did from APEGS. However, neither party should receive a penny from APEGS.
In a conversation with Robert McDonald, executive director and registrar of APEGS, he said that people from APEGS attended dinners hosted by these political parties and APEGS had to pay to attend the dinners, that the Saskatchewan Party charged more than the Saskatchewan NDP for the dinners, and that these dinners were attended for government relations by APEGS, but the money paid by APEGS to attend these dinners was listed as political donations.
I understand that APEGS wants to do government relations, but it should not be doing government relations in a way that funds the political parties. I have very frequently spoken to provincial, federal, and local politicians and their staff including party leaders and cabinet ministers about countless public policy issues without ever paying a penny to fund a political party. If I can do that, APEGS certainly can too. Also, the amount of money that APEGS is spending on government relations in these dinners is exorbitant.
Professional engineers and geoscientists are forced to join APEGS in Saskatchewan. It’s extremely inappropriate for the money that they are forced to spend on their APEGS fees to go to political parties that they oppose. APEGS needs to immediately and permanently stop funding the political parties. If APEGS has so much money to blow on funding political parties, it should reduce membership fees instead of charging exorbitant fees to join APEGS.
I extremely strongly oppose the Saskatchewan Party and almost everything it stands for. For example, I strongly oppose the Saskatchewan Party support of government funding of religious schools, its selling off public assets, and its changes to the net metering program. I would not want a penny of money that I’m forced to pay to APEGS to go to the Saskatchewan Party to help in its campaign efforts. Also, I strongly oppose the Saskatchewan NDP support of the mandatory retirement age and government funding of Catholic schools. I don’t like Christmas messages funded by the Saskatchewan Party and Saskatchewan NDP. This is totally unacceptable.
It’s outrageous and disgraceful that professional engineers and geoscientists are forced to pay fees to APEGS, and then APEGS takes that money and funds a political party as deplorable and despicable as the Saskatchewan Party, which has caused a lot of deaths by not having adequate restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s not like APEGS donated $10 or $20 to the Saskatchewan Party. APEGS donated $7680 to the Saskatchewan Party in one year alone. Do you know how many online ads that can buy?
Robert McDonald saw that APEGS was funding political parties, he knew about it according to his conversation with me, and he didn’t stop it. He needs to be sanctioned by APEGS.
Frankly, whoever made the decision to use APEGS money, which is obtained from APEGS members, to fund political parties should really be ashamed of himself or herself. This decision shows an extreme lack of judgment. The decision to fund the Saskatchewan Party actually harms the public because of the extremely regressive policies supported by the Saskatchewan Party such as the lack of restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19. The decision to fund political parties harms the standing of the professions of engineering and geoscience by harming the standing of their professional organization. Any individual(s) who attended the political party dinners at the expense of APEGS should have known better. Every person involved in the disgraceful decision to fund political parties needs to be sanctioned by APEGS.
I can’t be a member of APEGS in good conscience as long as APEGS is continuing its disgraceful practice of funding one or more political parties that I don’t support. I strongly oppose most of what the Saskatchewan Party stands for and I can’t pay fees in good conscience to an organization that is funding it. Is APEGS going to continue the practice of funding political parties in the future?
