WINNIPEG – One of the two candidates who ran for the leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives last year is facing a penalty for not filing his campaign financial statement.
Elections Manitoba says Wally Daudrich, as of this week, has not filed the required paperwork from the leadership race that ended last April, when Daudrich finished a close second to Obby Khan.
The agency says the official agent for Daudrich’s campaign has been assessed the maximum late-filing fee of $750 and daily fees have now started being assessed to Daudrich.
Last month, Daudrich said there was an issue with his bank not being able to release account statements quickly but that his official agent had been working on the matter and was ready to file.
Daudrich, who could not be reached for comment through phone calls and text messages, is a business owner and longtime Tory board member.
He has said he plans to seek the party’s nomination in the Turtle Mountain constituency for the next provincial election, slated for Oct. 5, 2027.
People who run for a legislature seat or a party leadership in Manitoba are required under provincial law to file returns that show, among other things, their revenues, expenses and names of donors who contribute $250 or more.
Those who fail to do so by a prescribed deadline, or by an extension date authorized by Elections Manitoba, are assessed fees of $25 a day for a maximum 30 days, which can add up to $750.
The penalty is applied first to the leadership candidate’s official agent and, if the paperwork is still not filed, a second penalty is later applied to the candidate.
“The late filing fee of $750 was assessed to … the official agent for Walter Daudrich,” a statement from Elections Manitoba said Thursday.
“At the point where the official agent was assessed the maximum late filing fee for 30 days, the leadership contestant was issued a notice of failure to file, and then became responsible for filing. Since (the financial) statement has not been filed, the leadership contestant is now incurring late filing fees for a maximum of 30 days or until the statement is filed.”
Khan’s financial returns were filed in September, after getting an extension from Elections Manitoba. They show he raised just over $132,000 while spending a little more than $140,000. His donors included former Tory leader and premier Heather Stefanson.
Elections Manitoba’s website says Daudrich received an authorized extension that expired Nov. 17.
Late filing fees are not uncommon in Manitoba. In 2024, more than $3,500 in such fees were assessed to candidate campaigns in the previous year’s provincial election.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2026.
Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version said Wally Daudrich plans to seek the party’s nomination for the Spruce Woods constituency.
