Harper stands firm: Fox foundation sought pledge

Tories say research institute in late runner’s name requested funding setup

OTTAWA— Conservative Leader Stephen Harper defended his party against criticism that it tried to take political advantage of Terry Fox’s legacy, insisting he was asked to set up a $35-million fund to match Canadian donations.

However, an Aug. 31 letter to him — jointly signed by the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation — does not back up Harper’s assertion. (The letter was released by the Conservatives.)

Harper doubled down on the Conservative campaign’s claim that both the foundation and research institute set up in Fox’s name had requested the money.

“In August of this year, we received a request from the Terry Fox Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation for the kinds of contributions and matching funds we’re setting up,” Harper told reporters Tuesday.

“We fulfilled that request. I think it’s a great policy and I encourage all Canadians to contribute to the legacy of fighting cancer that Terry Fox left us.”

Harper did not claim — as one of his ministers did Sunday — that the Fox family had supported the request.

But Conservative spokeswoman Meagan Murdoch suggested Monday night that the fault lay with the foundation itself.

“It was mistakenly indicated that the funding requested and welcomed by the Terry Fox Research Foundation was done on behalf of the family. We regret any confusion this may have caused,” she said.

In fact, the Aug. 31 letter addressed to Harper does not ask the government to set up a matching fund nor to contribute $35 million; nor does it state that the request was on behalf of the family.

Rather, the letter sets out that the charity’s overall national $35-million fundraising goal for the 35th anniversary of Fox’s Marathon of Hope run was tied to Canada’s current population of 35 million. (Terry Fox had a similar fundraising goal: to raise $1 for cancer research for every Canadian at the time.)

The letter said the foundation and research institute seeks “your support for” a pilot project to link cancer research hospitals and clinics as part of a national cancer centre strategy. It asks for an opportunity to discuss the proposal before the Oct. 19 election, saying it will need the “support and participation of the next federal government.”

A similar letter was sent to all parties.

Members of the Fox family were surprised and dismayed when, on Sunday, Harper’s industry minister James Moore, along with Harper’s wife Laureen, announced a Conservative government, if re-elected, would match Canadian donations up to $35 million on the day of the annual charity run. They claimed the initiative had the family’s support.

The Fox family issued a statement Monday to clarify it had not “enthusiastically” supported the announcement as “great,” as claimed by Moore.