Two 11-year-olds donated $10,800 to Joe Volpe's Liberal leadership campaign, and their 14-year-old brother gave another $5,400.
The sums were from children of former Apotex Inc. vice-president Allen Shechtman and were among the 20 donations totalling $108,000 to Mr. Volpe's campaign from five current and former executives of the firm and 15 of their family members.
Twins Matthew and Rebecca Shechtman made their donations of $5,400 each six days before their 12th birthday on April 26, according to Mr. Volpe's campaign-finance reports filed with Elections Canada and a published birth notice.
Their brother Noah, 14, gave another $5,400, as did each of his parents, Allen and Mary Shechtman, who are related by marriage to Barry Sherman, the chairman of Apotex Inc., Canada's largest generic-drug maker.
Last night, after The Globe and Mail asked Mr. Volpe's campaign officials about the donations from the 11-year-olds, the leadership candidate issued a press release saying that he had instructed his financial agent to review contributions to see if any "while legal, may be perceived to be against the spirit of the Canada Elections Act."
"If such a determination is made, Mr. Volpe has instructed his financial agent to return those donations to the donor," the statement said. "While it is hard to know all details of a donor, the Volpe campaign endeavours to ensure that all donations comply with the letter and spirit of the law."
Earlier, however, Mr. Volpe's national campaign co-ordinator, Scarborough MP Jim Karygiannis, insisted that nothing was wrong with the donations from 11-year-olds, and noted that it is legal for children of any age to donate to an election campaign.
Mr. Volpe's spokesman, Corey Hobbs, said Monday that all the donations are in full compliance with the law, and that none will be returned.
Mr. Volpe has come under fire for accepting so many donations from Apotex executives and their family members, and New Democratic Party MP Pat Martin has asked Elections Commissioner Raymond Landry to investigate whether individuals sought to circumvent campaign fundraising limits.
Companies are banned by law from donating to leadership campaigns, and individuals can donate only as much as $5,400. It is also illegal to make a donation on behalf of someone else.
Yesterday, Mr. Volpe's lawyer, Steven Polak, sent a letter to Mr. Martin demanding that he retract "false, malicious, and slanderous statements about Mr. Volpe and contributions to his leadership campaign."
Mr. Martin met reporters less than an hour later to make a "clarification."
"When I came out and said that laundering money through your children's bank accounts to circumvent the donation limits of the election act is fraud, I should have said, laundering money through your children's bank accounts to circumvent the donation limits of the Elections Act seems like fraud, and it's up to the Elections Commissioner to determine if what took place is illegal or not," Mr. Martin said.
In his first report of leadership campaign donations to Elections Canada filed last month, Mr. Volpe reported that he received 29 donations on April 20 totalling $152,700. Just over 70 per cent came from 20 donations of $5,400 made by the current and former executives of Apotex Inc., and members of their families.
Mr. Shechtman, whose wife Mary is the sister of Mr. Sherman's wife, said on Monday that all of the donors were not adults. The man who answered the door at Mr. Shechtman's sprawling Forest Hill home last night was courteous but declined comment. "I don't think I want to say anything right now," he said firmly before closing the door.
Published notices announced the birth of Noah Shechtman on Feb. 18, 1992, and of twins Matthew and Rebecca on April 26, 1994.
Apotex chairman Barry Sherman, his wife Honey, and four of their children each donated $5,400 to Mr. Volpe's leadership campaign, according to Mr. Volpe's first report of his donations to Elections Canada. The company's president, Jack Kay, his wife Patricia, and two of their children also donated $5,400 each.
Two Apotex vice-presidents, Michael Florence and Craig Baxter, also donated $5,400 each, as did four of Mr. Baxter's family members listed at the same residence.
A spokesman for Apotex, Elie Betito, said yesterday that only one of the children of Mr. Sherman, Mr. Kay and Mr. Baxter is under 18, and that that person, one of Mr. Kay's children, is 17. Several of them are well over 20 and some are in their 30s, he said. He said he did not know the ages of Mr. Shechtman's children.
"If the executives want to do individual donations, it's up to them to do whatever. It didn't involve the company," he said. "Most of the kids are adults, so who cares?"
Mr. Karygiannis said that Mr. Volpe did not know the ages of Mr. Shechtman's children, but that donations from 11-year-olds are legal. "The law does not distinguish. We are following the rules," he said.
He suggested it is other Liberal leadership campaigns that have something to hide.
"At least we're not hiding behind loans. . . ," he said.
Several of the Liberal leadership contenders have financed their early campaigns by borrowing money from individuals or corporations.
Campbell Clark