Allocation of paid broadcasting time [C.E.A., s. 307(1), 310(1)-(4)]

• In the period beginning on Sunday, the 29th day before polling day at a general election and ending on the 2nd day before polling day, every broadcaster must make available for purchase by all registered parties for the transmission of political announcements and other programming produced by or on behalf of the registered parties an aggregate of six and one-half hours of broadcasting time during prime time on its facilities.
• The Broadcasting Arbitrator, in allocating paid broadcasting time, must give equal weight to:

• the percentage of seats in the House of Commons held by each of the registered parties at the previous general election; and
• the percentage of the popular vote at the previous general election of each registered party;

• The Broadcasting Arbitrator must give half the weight given to each of the factors referred to above, to the number of candidates endorsed by each of the registered parties at the previous general election expressed as a percentage of all candidates endorsed by all registered parties at that election.

• In no case must the Broadcasting Arbitrator allocate to any registered party more than 50 percent of the aggregate of the broadcasting time to be made available to registered political parties.
• Where an allocation determined would result in the receipt by a registered party of more than 50 percent of the aggregate of the broadcasting time to be made to registered political parties, the Broadcasting Arbitrator must allocate that excess broadcasting time to the other registered parties entitled to broadcasting time under that section on a proportionate basis.
• Where the Broadcasting Arbitrator considers that an allocation would be unfair to any of the registered parties or contrary to public interest, he or she may modify the allocation in any manner he or she deems fit.

Allocation of free broadcasting time [C.E.A., s. 316(1)-(2)]

• In the period beginning on Sunday the 29th day before polling day at a general election and ending on the 2nd day before polling day, every network operator:

• that reaches a majority of those Canadians whose mother tongue is the same as that in which the network broadcasts;
• that is licensed with respect to more than a particular series of programs or type of programming; and
• that does not involve any distribution undertaking within the meaning of the Broadcasting Act;

• The minimum amount of free broadcasting time a network operator is to make available must be no less than the free broadcasting time made available by it in the 29 days prior to polling day at the last general election, namely:

• two minutes to every registered party and every political party; and
• the remainder to all registered parties that have been allocated any of the broadcasting time to be made available under the Act and all political parties that have requested broadcasting time under the Act in the proportion that their allocated or requested purchasable broadcasting time bears to the total broadcasting time allocated or requested.

Rates charged [C.E.A., s. 320]

• Every person who charges a registered party or political party or any person acting on its behalf any amount whatever in respect of broadcasting time made available to the party within the period beginning on Sunday, the 29th day before polling day at a general election and ending on the 2nd day before polling day, that is in excess of the time required to be made available to it under any allocation of broadcasting time established under the Act or any entitlement under the Act, is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $25 000.

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Rates charged [E.A., s. 226.2(1)-(3)]

• In the period beginning on the 21st day before the day immediately before polling day at an election and ending on the day before polling day, a person, corporation or trade union must not:

• charge a registered party or candidate, or a person acting with its or his or her knowledge and consent, a rate for broadcasting time on a broadcasting undertaking that exceeds the lowest rate charged by him or her or it for an equal amount of equivalent time on the same facilities made available to another person in that period; or
• charge a registered party or candidate, or a person acting with its or his or her knowledge and consent, a rate for an advertisement in a periodical publication published or dispersed and made public that exceeds the lowest rate charged by him or her or it for an equal amount of equivalent advertising space in the same issue of the periodical or in another issue published or disbursed and made public in that period.

• In addition, the rates charged a registered party or candidate for broadcasting time on a broadcasting undertaking or for an advertisement in a periodical publication must be the same as the rate charged for an equal amount of equivalent broadcasting time or an equal amount of equivalent advertising space outside that period.
• The rates must be the same for all registered parties or candidates.

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Rates charged [E.E.A., s. 17(3)]

• No person or corporation must:

• charge a registered party, registered candidate, or any person acting with its, his or her knowledge and consent, a rate for broadcasting time on any broadcasting undertaking in the election period, that exceeds the lowest rate charged by the person or corporation for an equal amount of equivalent time on the same facilities made available to any other person in that period; or
• charge a registered party, registered candidate, or any person acting with its, his or her knowledge and consent, a rate for an advertisement in a periodical publication published or distributed and made public in the election period that exceeds the lowest rate charged by the person or corporation for an equal amount of equivalent advertising space in the same issue of the periodical or in any other issue thereof published or distributed and made public in that period.

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Allocation of free broadcasting time [P.P.F.A., s. 48(1)]

• Every broadcasting undertaking and every publisher of a newspaper, periodical or other printed matter may, free of charge, make broadcasting time on radio or television or advertising space in a newspaper, periodical or other printed matter, available to registered political parties, registered district associations or registered independent candidates, if such a service is offered on an equitable basis, qualitatively and quantitatively, to all such parties, associations or independent candidates.

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Allocation of free broadcasting time [E.A., s. 423]

• During an election period, a radio, television or cable broadcaster and the owner of a newspaper, periodical or other publication may make air time on the radio or television or space in the newspaper, periodical or other publication available free of charge to the leaders of the parties and to candidates, provided he or she offers such service equitably as to quality and quantity to all the candidates of the same electoral division or to all the leaders of the parties represented in the National Assembly or which obtained at least three percent of the valid votes at the last general election.

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Rates charged [E.F.A., s. 37(6)]

• During an election campaign, no person or corporation must charge a party, constituency association or candidate registered under the Act, or any person, corporation or trade union acting with the party's, association's or candidate's consent, a rate for making campaign advertising available in any broadcast, print, electronic or other medium that exceeds the lowest rate the person or corporation charges anyone else for the same amount of equivalent advertising space or time during that period.

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Rates charged [E.A., s. 232]

• An individual or organization must not charge a registered political party, registered constituency association or candidate a rate for election advertising in a periodical publication or on radio or television that exceeds the lowest rate charged by the individual or organization for equivalent advertising in the same medium during the same campaign period.

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