Political Financing Handbook for Nomination Contestants and Financial Agents (EC 20182) – December 2018 – Archived Content

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Table of Contents

• About This Document
  • Introduction to the handbook
  • What’s new in this release?
  • Contact information
• 1. Reference Tables and Timelines
  • Starting the nomination contestant’s campaign
  • Important deadlines for the nomination contestant’s campaign
  • Role and appointment process—financial agent
  • Role and appointment process—auditor
  • Closing the nomination contestant’s campaign
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees
  • Transfers—types and rules
  • Important reminders for nomination contestants and their financial agents
• 2. Contributions
  • What is a contribution?
  • What is commercial value?
  • Who can contribute?
  • Limits on contributions, loans and loan guarantees to a nomination contestant
  • Volunteer labour is not a contribution
  • Sponsorship or advertising at a political event is a contribution
  • Accepting and recording contributions
  • 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
• 3. Loans
  • Getting a loan
  • Types of loans
  • Loan interest
  • Repaying a loan
• 4. Transfers
  • What is a transfer?
  • Transfers sent to the nomination contestant
  • Transfers sent by the nomination contestant
• 5. Other Cash Inflows
• 6. Fundraising
  • Determining the contribution amount when contributors receive a benefit
  • Fundraising expenses
  • Regulated fundraising events

• Typical fundraising activities
  • Sale of branded goods
  • Auctions
  • Ticketed fundraising events
  • Non-ticketed events
  • Draws
• 7. Nomination Campaign Expenses
  • What are nomination campaign expenses?
  • Non-monetary contributions and transfers are also expenses
  • Who can incur expenses?
  • Who can pay expenses?
  • Property or services provided by the registered party or a registered association
  • Invoices
• 8. Nomination Contest Expenses
  • What are nomination contest expenses?
  • Limits on nomination contest expenses
  • How are the limits calculated?

• Typical nomination contest expenses
  • Advertising expenses
  • Websites and web content
  • Voter contact calling services
  • Surveys
  • Assets
  • Rental of a campaign office
  • Compensation paid to the financial agent or other campaign workers
  • Expenses of volunteers
  • Campaigning by parliamentarians

• Use of parliamentary resources
  • Staff of a parliamentarian
  • Website of a parliamentarian
• 9. Nomination Contestant’s Personal Expenses
  • What are the contestant’s personal expenses?
  • What are the reporting requirements?

• Contestant’s personal expense categories
  • Travel and living
  • Child care
  • Care for a person with a physical or mental incapacity
  • Expenses related to a disability
  • Other personal expenses
• 10. Other Nomination Campaign Expenses
  • What are “other” nomination campaign expenses?

• Typical “other” expenses
  • Nomination contest fees
  • Compensation paid to the contestant
  • Fundraising expenses
  • Interest on loans before and after the contest period
  • Auditor’s fees
  • Cost of preparing reports
• 11. Reporting
  • Reporting obligations after the selection date
  • Additional reporting
  • Submitting reports to Elections Canada
  • Requesting a filing deadline extension
• 12. 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
• 13. Disposing of Surplus
  • What is a surplus?
  • Notice of estimated surplus from Elections Canada
  • If the financial agent is aware of a surplus
  • How to dispose of a surplus
  • Nomination Contestant’s Statement of Surplus

• Next