Of course, they never lent him a dime. But the Conservatives are self-appointed enforcers when it comes to policing Stéphane Dion's unpaid debts from his successful bid to become Liberal leader in 2006.

Last night Elections Canada posted the latest returns from three of the other candidates in the Liberal leadership race who still owe money.

Stéphane Dion's return isn't among them. Only Hedy Fry, Ken Dryden and Michael Ignatieff met the Sept. 2 deadline. The others, including Dion, sought an extension.

The Conservatives insist Dion has broken another promise.

They re-issued a letter released by Elections Canada on Aug. 5, in which Dion committed to pay off one-third of his leadership debts by last Wednesday.

But it's important to read the fine print.

Yes, there was a deadline last week for the leadership contestants with unpaid loans to file an updated report, providing their financial statements as of June 30.

But Dion and those others don't have to report how much they've paid back in the period between June 30 and Sept. 2, until the end of the year.

So, technically, Dion still has a few months to report whether he paid off one-third of his debts as of last week.

For the Conservatives, it's not about the fine print, but the big picture.

In a news release put out today, the party writes, "Canadians still have no proof Stéphane Dion has complied with his own repayment plan. Mr. Dion has had 21 months to pay off his Liberal leadership debts.

"If Mr. Dion can't manage his own finances, how could he possibly manage the country's finances?"

— Chris Hall