Canada Elections Act

Marginal note:Contribution limits

• 405 (1) No individual shall make contributions that exceed

  • (a) $1,000 in total in any calendar year to a particular registered party;

  • (a.1) $1,000 in total in any calendar year to the registered associations, nomination contestants and candidates of a particular registered party;

  • (b) $1,000 in total to a candidate for a particular election who is not the candidate of a registered party; and

  • (c) $1,000 in total to the leadership contestants in a particular leadership contest.

• Marginal note:Testamentary dispositions

  (2) A contribution may be made by way of a testamentary disposition if the contribution is made only in one calendar year and does not cause the contributor to exceed the relevant limit under subsection (1), taking into account any contributions that the contributor made before their death.

• Marginal note:Non-conforming testamentary dispositions read down

  (2.1) A testamentary disposition that provides for a contribution that would cause the contributor to exceed the relevant limit under subsection (1) shall be read as if the contribution is for the highest amount that would not cause the contribution to exceed that limit, and a testamentary disposition that provides for a contribution to be made in more than one calendar year after the year in which this subsection comes into force shall be read as if the contribution is to be made only in the first of those calendar years.

• Marginal note:Attribution of certain contributions

  (3) For the purposes of subsection (1), a contribution to a person who presents himself or herself as seeking the endorsement of a particular registered party shall be treated as a contribution referred to in paragraph (1)(a.1) to a candidate of that party and a contribution to a person who presents himself or herself as seeking to be a candidate not endorsed by any registered party shall be treated as a contribution referred to in paragraph (1)(b).

• Marginal note:Exception — nomination contestant’s contributions to own campaign

  (4) Contributions that do not exceed $1,000 in total by a nomination contestant out of their own funds to their own campaign as a nomination contestant do not count towards the nomination contestant’s contributions for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a.1).

• Marginal note:Contributions — candidates and leadership contestants

  (4.1) Subject to subsection (4.2), no candidate in a particular election and no leadership contestant in a particular leadership contest shall make a contribution out of their own funds to their own campaign.

• Marginal note:Exception — certain contributions to own campaign

  (4.2) The following contributions are permitted:

  • (a) contributions that do not exceed $5,000 in total by a candidate for a particular election out of their own funds to their own campaign; and

  • (b) contributions that do not exceed $25,000 in total by a leadership contestant in a particular leadership contest out of their own funds to their own campaign.

• Marginal note:Contributions under subsection (1) not affected

  (4.3) Contributions made under subsection (4.2) do not have the effect of limiting the amounts that the candidate or leadership contestant, as the case may be, may contribute under subsection (1) to other candidates or to other leadership contestants, as the case may be.

• Marginal note:Deemed to be contributions

  (5) For the purposes of this Act, contributions made to a leadership contestant within 18 months after a leadership contest are deemed to be contributions for that contest.