Political Financing Handbook for Candidates and Official Agents (EC 20155) – April 2024

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Table of Contents

• About This Document
  • Introduction to the handbook
  • What's new in recent releases?
  • Contact information
• 1. Reference Tables and Timelines
  • Important deadlines for the candidate's campaign
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees
  • Transfers—types and rules
  • Important reminders for candidates and their official agents
• 2. Starting and Closing the Candidate's Campaign
  • Starting the candidate's campaign
  • Role and appointment process—official agent
  • Role and appointment process—auditor
  • Closing the candidate's campaign
• 3. Contributions
  • What is a contribution?
  • What is commercial value?
  • Who can contribute?
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees to a candidate
  • Paid leave for a candidate is not a contribution
  • Volunteer labour is not a contribution
  • Sponsorship or advertising at a political event is a contribution
  • Activities conducted by others in coordination with the candidate's campaign may be contributions
  • Accepting and recording contributions
  • Accepting contributions of cryptocurrency
  • Issuing contribution receipts
  • Determining the date a contribution is made
  • Recording anonymous contributions
  • Remitting anonymous contributions that cannot be accepted
  • Ineligible contributions
  • Returning ineligible or non-compliant contributions
• 4. Loans
  • Getting a loan
  • Types of loans
  • Loan interest
  • Repaying a loan
• 5. Transfers
  • What is a transfer?
  • Transfers of expenses are prohibited
  • Transfers sent to the candidate's campaign
  • Transfers sent by the candidate's campaign
  • Irregular transfers
  • Independent candidates
• 6. Other Cash Inflows
• 7. Fundraising
  • Determining the contribution amount when contributors receive a benefit
  • Fundraising expenses
• Regulated fundraising events
  • What is a regulated fundraising event?
  • Candidate's role in providing information about a regulated fundraising event
  • Returning contributions for non-compliance with disclosure rules
• Typical fundraising activities
  • Sale of branded goods
  • Auctions
  • Ticketed fundraising events
  • Other ticketed events
  • Non-ticketed events
  • Draws
• 8. Electoral Campaign Expenses
  • What are electoral campaign expenses?
  • Non-monetary contributions and transfers are also expenses
  • Who can incur expenses?
  • Who can pay expenses?
  • Invoices
• 9. Election Expenses
  • What are election expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay election expenses?
  • Limits on election expenses
  • Uncancellable advertising or activities
• Typical election expenses
  • Traditional election advertising
  • Election signs
  • Election advertising on the Internet
  • Websites and web content
  • Voter contact calling services
  • Mass text messaging
  • Voter databases, surveys and research
  • Capital assets
  • Rental of a campaign office
  • Cell phones
  • Campaign workers and related expenses
  • High-profile campaigners and invited guests
  • Holiday greeting cards and receptions
• Use of parliamentary resources and other existing resources
  • Used signs
  • Billboards
  • Website and social media accounts of a parliamentarian
  • Staff of a parliamentarian
  • Parliamentary database of a member of Parliament
  • Householders issued by members of Parliament
• 10. Candidate's Personal Expenses
  • What are the candidate's personal expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay the candidate's personal expenses?
• Typical personal expenses
  • Childcare
  • Care for a person with a physical or mental incapacity
  • Expenses related to a disability
  • Expenses to pay the candidate's representatives
  • Other personal expenses
• 11. Candidate's Travel and Living Expenses
  • What are the candidate's travel and living expenses?
  • What are not the candidate's travel and living expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay the candidate's travel and living expenses?
  • Use of travel reward points
• Typical travel and living expenses
  • Meals and incidentals
  • Temporary lodging
  • Transportation
• 12. Candidate's Litigation Expenses
  • What are the candidate's litigation expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay the candidate's litigation expenses?
  • Reimbursement for a judicial recount
• 13. Accessibility Expenses
  • What are accessibility expenses?
  • What are not accessibility expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay accessibility expenses?
• Typical accessibility expenses
  • Accessible websites
  • Sign language interpretation
  • Communication products in adapted or alternative formats
  • Construction and renovation
• 14. Other Electoral Campaign Expenses
  • What are "other" electoral campaign expenses?
  • Who can incur and pay "other" electoral campaign expenses?
• Typical "other" expenses
  • Partisan advertising during the pre-election period
  • Compensation paid to the candidate
  • Fundraising expenses
  • Unused inventory
  • Interest on loans before and after the election period
  • Activities to close out the campaign
  • Preparation of reports
  • Replacement or repair of damaged property
• 15. Working with Other Entities
  • Expenses shared between candidates
  • Expenses cannot be transferred
  • Property or services provided by the party or registered association
• Typical shared activities
  • Leader's tour
  • Parliamentarians or other candidates campaigning for a local candidate
  • Candidates campaigning for the registered party
  • Use of the registered association's office and assets
  • Use of the registered association's online contribution system
  • Use of the registered party's online contribution system
• 16. Interacting with Third Parties in the Pre-election and Election Periods
  • What is a third party?
  • What is collusion?
  • Prohibition on colluding with third parties in relation to a pre-election period
  • Prohibition on colluding with third parties in relation to an election period
  • What is collusion for the purpose of influencing a third party's regulated activities?
• 17. Reporting
  • Reporting obligations after election day
  • Additional reporting
  • Reporting gifts and other advantages
  • Failure to report by candidates and members of Parliament
  • Supporting documents
  • Submitting reports to Elections Canada
  • Requesting a filing deadline extension
• 18. Reimbursements and Subsidies
  • Reimbursements and overpayments
  • Auditor's subsidy
• 19. Managing Unpaid Claims and Loans
  • Repaying claims and loans within 36 months
  • Repaying claims and loans after 36 months
  • Requesting authorization for a payment
  • Reporting unpaid claims and loans
• 20. Disposing of Surplus
  • What is a surplus?
  • Transfer or sale of capital assets
  • Notice of estimated surplus from Elections Canada
  • How to dispose of a surplus
  • Repayment of a surplus to independent or non-affiliated candidates
• 21. By-elections Superseded by a General Election
  • How a by-election becomes superseded
  • By-election deemed to have taken place
  • Appoint an official agent and open a bank account
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees for by-elections
  • Limit on election expenses
  • Reimbursement of expenses and reporting
  • Transfers to the campaign for the general election
• 22. Cancelled Election or Postponed Election Day
• Cancelled election (withdrawal of the writ)
  • Process to cancel an election
  • Withdrawal date replaces election day
  • Official agent and new bank account for new election
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees for a new election
  • Limit on election expenses
  • Reimbursement of expenses and reporting
  • Transfers to the campaign for the new election
• Postponed election day
  • Process to postpone election day
  • Effect of postponement

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