Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return (EC 20171) – Instructions

When to use this form

The financial agent for a nomination contestant must submit this form if contributions totalling $1,000 or more were accepted or if nomination campaign expenses, not including transfers to affiliated political entities, totalling $1,000 or more were incurred. Additionally, if these contributions or expenses totalled $10,000 or more, an audit report must also be submitted.

This form is due four months after the selection date or, if the selection date falls within an election period or 30 days before it, four months after election day.

Tips for completing this form

Part 1

ED code, Electoral district:

For a list of electoral district codes and names, refer to Annex I for a list of federal electoral districts for the 2013 Representation Order (338 electoral districts) or Annex II for a list of federal electoral districts for the 2023 representation orders (343 electoral districts).

Declaration:

The declaration must be signed by both the contestant and the financial agent. The financial agent must be the agent in Elections Canada's registry at the time of signing.

Part 2a

List all monetary and non-monetary contributions received by the campaign.

For contributors whose total monetary and non-monetary contributions are greater than $200, the full name and address must be recorded.

For contributions from contributors whose total monetary and non-monetary contributions are $200 or less, on the last page used for Part 2a, record the grand total of monetary and non-monetary contributions, along with the total number of contributors.

For anonymous contributions of $20 or less, on the last page used for Part 2a, record the grand total of monetary and non-monetary contributions, along with the total approximate number of anonymous contributors.

For anonymous contributions from a general solicitation at a meeting or fundraising event:

Supporting documentation would include a description of the function at which the contributions were collected, the date of the function, the approximate number of people at the function and the total amount of anonymous contributions accepted.

Part 2b

Provide a separate Part 2b for each loan.

Loan details:

If there is more than one loan to the campaign, enter a loan number to identify the loan.

For overdrafts, enter the maximum amount overdrawn.

If a line of credit is used, the treatment will differ depending on whether the funds were deposited into the campaign bank account or used to pay suppliers directly:

If the funds from the line of credit were transferred into the campaign bank account, the sum of all transfers will be reported as a line of credit.
If campaign expenses were paid directly to the supplier from the line of credit, the maximum amount drawn from the line of credit will be reported as an overdraft.

Variable interest rate:

If the interest rate is variable, enter the variable rate. For example, if a variable interest rate is 2% above prime, enter "+2."

Balance of loan as of December 31:

Enter the outstanding balance at December 31 of each year. For example, if the campaign borrowed money in October 2017 for a nomination contest that occurred in the fall of 2018, you would report the balance of the loan as of December 2017 and December 2018.

Part 2c

Enter all contributions returned to contributors or remitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). For non-monetary contributions that were used, the commercial value of the contributed property or service must be remitted to the CEO, payable to the Receiver General for Canada.

Part 2d

A candidate can make a transfer to their own nomination contestant campaign for the same election. If the transfer is from a registered association or the candidate's own campaign, enter their ED code. For a list of electoral district codes and names, refer to Annex I for a list of federal electoral districts for the 2013 Representation Order (338 electoral districts) or Annex II for a list of federal electoral districts for the 2023 representation orders (343 electoral districts).

Part 2e

Enter all other cash inflows received.

For the non-contribution portion of fundraising revenue, enter the difference between the selling price and the contributions received from the fundraising activity. For example, if the event was a ticketed fundraiser, the non-contribution portion of fundraising revenue would be the difference between the amount that the tickets sold for and the contribution portion attributed to the tickets.

For returned cash advances, enter the unused returned portion of the cash advance.

For refundable deposits, enter the amount of the deposit that was given to participate in the nomination contest and subsequently refunded.

Part 2f

To determine the total campaign inflows, carry forward the total amounts and the number of contributors or lenders, if applicable, from each part to the corresponding boxes.

Part 3a

List all of the nomination campaign expenses and other outflows. For each expense amount, record the amount that was either paid from the campaign bank account, remain unpaid, or were contributed by an individual or transferred from the registered party, a registered association or the contestant's own election campaign, or a combination thereof.

If original supplier is different from intermediary supplier:

Enter the name of both the intermediary supplier and the original supplier. For example, if the campaign sublets office space from the registered association and pays the association, enter the registered association as the supplier and the landlord as the original supplier. The association must send an invoice to the contestant's campaign together with its original rental agreement and both documents must be submitted with this return.

Expense types, Expense categories and Expense subcategories:

For a complete list of applicable expense types, expense categories and expense subcategories, refer to Annex III in the printable pdf version.

Expenses where the individual amounts are immaterial:

For expenses where the individual amounts are immaterial, it is not necessary to record each expense separately. If the total amount of expenses is $200 or less, enter the name of the individual as the supplier and "Various" as the name of the original supplier, and select the appropriate expense type and expense category and subcategory. For example, if a volunteer submits various receipts for miscellaneous expenses, a single entry can be entered for these expenses.

Part 3b

Provide details of the nomination contestant's litigation and personal expenses that were paid from the contestant's own funds or from another source of funds. These expenses are not contributions if the funds were not deposited into the campaign bank account.

Part 3c

The nomination contest expenses limit can be found on the Elections Canada website. To determine the total campaign outflows, carry forward the total amounts from parts 3a and 3b.

Part 4

Provide details of all outstanding loans, including overdrafts and lines of credit, listed in Part 2b and all unpaid claims listed in Part 3a.

Part 5

If all campaign transactions that went through the campaign bank account have been reported in the return, the amount in Box D3 will equal the amount in Box F3.

Campaign return transactions:

Carry forward all the amounts from the indicated parts of the return to determine the campaign's monetary surplus as at the date of the return.

Campaign bank account:

To determine the effective account balance, list all credits and debits to the campaign bank account, and all outstanding cheques and outstanding deposits.

Required Documents

Provide, with this return, the auditor's report (if required), the Nomination Contestant's Statement of Expenses (EC 20175), invoices, bank statements, deposit slips, cancelled cheques, loan agreements (including all terms and conditions and repayment schedules), copies of contribution cheques, copies of contribution receipts, and other pertinent documents.

Resources and support

For more information, please refer to the Political Financing Handbook for Nomination Contestants and Financial Agents (EC 20182).

If you are not sure how to complete this form or you have any questions, call the Political Entities Support Network at 1-800-486-6563.

Where to send the form

This form, and any supporting documentation, can be sent by email (in PDF format), courier, mail or fax.

Email

political.financing@elections.ca

Mail

Elections Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau Quebec K1A 0M6

Fax

Political Financing
1-888-523-9333 (toll-free)