Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9)
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Act current to 2020-12-28 and last amended on 2019-06-13. Previous Versions
PART 18Financial Administration (continued)
DIVISION 5Candidates (continued)
SUBDIVISION AOfficial Agent and Auditor (continued)
Marginal note:Consent
477.41 A candidate shall obtain from the official agent or auditor, on appointment, their signed consent to act in that capacity.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
Marginal note:Replacement of official agent or auditor
477.42 In the event of the death, incapacity, resignation or ineligibility of an official agent or an auditor, or the revocation of the appointment of one, the candidate shall without delay appoint a replacement.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
Marginal note:Only one official agent and auditor
477.43 A candidate shall have no more than one official agent and one auditor at a time.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
Marginal note:Prohibition — official agents
477.44 (1) No person who is ineligible to be an official agent of a candidate shall act in that capacity.
Marginal note:Prohibition — auditor
(2) No person who is ineligible to be an auditor of a candidate shall act in that capacity.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
SUBDIVISION BFinancial Administration of Candidates
Powers, Duties and Functions of Official Agent
Marginal note:Duty of official agent
477.45 A candidate’s official agent is responsible for administering the candidate’s financial transactions for their electoral campaign and for reporting on those transactions in accordance with this Act.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
Marginal note:Bank account
477.46 (1) A candidate’s official agent shall open, for the sole purpose of the candidate’s electoral campaign, a separate bank account in a Canadian financial institution as defined in section 2 of the Bank Act, or in an authorized foreign bank as defined in that section that is not subject to the restrictions and requirements referred to in subsection 524(2) of that Act.
Marginal note:Account holder name
(2) The account shall name the account holder as follows: “(name of official agent), official agent”.
Marginal note:Deposits into account
(3) All of a candidate’s financial transactions in relation to the candidate’s electoral campaign that involve the receipt of money are to be deposited to the account unless the transaction involves the receipt of the candidate’s own funds and those funds are used to pay a litigation expense or a personal expense.
Marginal note:Payments from account
(3.1) All of a candidate’s financial transactions in relation to the candidate’s electoral campaign that involve the payment of money are to be paid from the account unless the transaction involves the payment out of the candidate’s own funds of a litigation expense or a personal expense.
Marginal note:Closure of bank account
(4) After the election or the withdrawal or death of a candidate, the candidate’s official agent shall close the account once all unpaid claims and surplus electoral funds have been dealt with in accordance with this Act.
Marginal note:Final statement of bank account
(5) The official agent shall, on closing the account, provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the final statement of the account.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
- 2018, c. 31, s. 289
Marginal note:Prohibition — accepting contributions, borrowing
477.47 (1) No person or entity, other than the candidate’s official agent, shall accept contributions to a candidate’s electoral campaign or borrow money on the candidate’s behalf under section 373.
Marginal note:Prohibition — issuing tax receipts
(2) No person or entity, other than the candidate’s official agent, shall provide official receipts to contributors of monetary contributions to a candidate for the purpose of subsection 127(3) of the Income Tax Act.
Marginal note:Prohibition — accepting or providing goods, services or funds
(3) No person or entity, other than the candidate’s official agent, shall, on behalf of a candidate,
Marginal note:Prohibition — paying electoral expenses
(4) No person or entity, other than a candidate’s official agent, shall pay the candidate’s electoral campaign expenses except for
Marginal note:Prohibition — incurring electoral expenses
(5) No person or entity, other than a candidate, their official agent or a person authorized under paragraph 477.55(c) to enter into contracts, shall incur expenses in relation to the candidate’s electoral campaign.
Marginal note:Election expenses incurred by candidate
(5.1) Despite subsection (5), a candidate shall, before incurring election expenses, obtain the written authorization of their official agent to incur those expenses, and shall incur them only in accordance with that authorization.
Marginal note:Prohibition — paying candidate’s personal expenses, etc.
(6) No person or entity, other than a candidate or their official agent, shall pay the candidate’s expenses referred to in any of paragraphs (4)(a) to (c).
Marginal note:Exception
(7) Subsection (4) or (5), as the case may be, does not apply to a registered agent of a registered party who pays or incurs expenses in relation to the electoral campaign of the leader of the registered party.
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
- 2018, c. 31, s. 290
477.48 [Repealed, 2018, c. 31, s. 291]
Election Expenses Limit
Marginal note:Maximum election expenses allowed
477.49 (1) The election expenses limit that is allowed for a candidate’s election expenses in an electoral district is the product of the base amount for an electoral district determined under section 477.5 and the inflation adjustment factor referred to in section 384 on the day on which the writ is issued.
Marginal note:Maximum expenses: postponement of polling day
(2) If the Governor in Council orders the postponement of polling day under subsection 59(4) for an electoral district along with the corresponding extension of the election period, then the election expenses limit calculated under subsection (1) for a candidate in that electoral district is increased by adding to it the product of
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
- 2018, c. 31, s. 292
Marginal note:Base amount of candidate’s election expenses
477.5 (1) The base amount of a candidate’s election expenses in an electoral district is the higher of
Marginal note:Death of candidate of registered party
(2) If a candidate for an electoral district whose nomination was endorsed by a registered party dies within the period beginning at 2:00 p.m. on the fifth day before the closing day for nominations and ending on polling day, the base amount for that electoral district is increased by 50%.
Marginal note:Calculation using preliminary lists of electors
(3) The amount referred to in paragraph (1)(a) is the aggregate of the following amounts, based on the number of the electors on the preliminary lists of electors:
Marginal note:Fewer electors than average — general election
(4) If the number of electors on the preliminary lists of electors for the electoral district is less than the average number of electors on all preliminary lists of electors in a general election, then, in making a calculation under subsection (3), the number of electors is deemed to be halfway between the number on the preliminary lists of electors for the electoral district and that average number.
Marginal note:Fewer electors than average — by-election
(5) In the case of a by-election, if the number of electors on the preliminary lists of electors for the electoral district is less than the average number of electors on all revised lists of electors in the immediately preceding general election, then, in making a calculation under subsection (3), the number of electors is deemed to be halfway between the number on the preliminary lists of electors for the electoral district and that average number.
Marginal note:Districts with lower population density
(6) If the number of electors per square kilometre, calculated on the basis of the preliminary lists of electors for the electoral district, is less than 10, the amount calculated under subsection (3) is increased by the lesser of $0.31 per square kilometre and 25% of the amount calculated under subsection (3).
Marginal note:Calculation using revised list of electors
(7) The amount referred to in paragraph (1)(b) is the aggregate of the following amounts, based on the number of the electors on the revised lists of electors:
Marginal note:Fewer electors than average — general election
(8) If the number of electors on the revised lists of electors for the electoral district is less than the average number of electors on all revised lists of electors in a general election, then, in making a calculation under subsection (7), the number of electors is deemed to be halfway between the number on the revised lists of electors for the electoral district and that average number.
Marginal note:Fewer electors than average — by-election
(9) In the case of a by-election, if the number of electors on the revised lists of electors for the electoral district is less than the average number of electors on all revised lists of electors in the immediately preceding general election, then, in making a calculation under subsection (7), the number of electors is deemed to be halfway between the number on the revised lists of electors for the electoral district and that average number.
Marginal note:Districts with lower population density
(10) If the number of electors per square kilometre, calculated on the basis of the revised lists of electors for the electoral district, is less than 10, the amount calculated under subsection (7) is increased by the lesser of $0.31 per square kilometre and 25% of the amount calculated under subsection (7).
- 2014, c. 12, s. 86
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