Political Financing Handbook for Nomination Contestants and Financial Agents (EC 20182) – June 2019 – Archived content

This document is Elections Canada's archived guideline OGI 2019-03 and is no longer in effect.

Click on the link for the latest Political Financing Handbook for Nomination Contestants and Financial Agents.

Note: This handbook is to be used for contests called on or after June 13, 2019. For earlier contests, please use the December 2018 version of the handbook..

13. Reporting

This chapter describes the financial reports that must be completed and submitted by set deadlines under the Canada Elections Act. It covers the following topics:

Reporting obligations after the selection date
Additional reporting
Submitting reports to Elections Canada
Requesting a filing deadline extension

For a timeline of all reporting obligations, see Important deadlines for the nomination contestant's campaign in Chapter 1, Reference Tables and Timelines.

Note: Forms and instructions are available on the Elections Canada website.

Reporting obligations after the selection date

Reports in this table must be submitted to Elections Canada, unless otherwise noted.

Report	Description	Who is responsible
3 months after selection date
Nomination Contestant's Statement of Expenses (EC 20175) Signed, with all supporting documents	The statement lists the contestant's personal, travel and living, and litigation expenses that were reasonably incurred in relation to the contest and have not been reimbursed by the campaign. It must be completed even if the expenses were nil.	Nomination contestant Submitted to financial agent
4 months after selection date^Note 1
Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return^Note 2 (EC 20171) Signed, with all supporting documents	The campaign return includes the following: campaign information and declaration, signed by the contestant and the financial agent revenues and other inflows expenses and other outflows unpaid claims and loans bank reconciliation	Financial agent
Nomination Contestant's Statement of Expenses^Note 2 (EC 20175) Signed, with all supporting documents	The financial agent must submit the expenses statement with the Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return.	Financial agent
Auditor's report^Note 3	After the financial agent has completed the campaign return, the auditor has to examine the financial records and give an opinion in a report as to whether the contestant's return presents fairly the information contained in the financial records on which it is based.	Financial agent

^Note 1 If the selection date falls within an election period or within 30 days before it, the deadline is four months after election day.

^Note 2 Required if the campaign accepted contributions totalling $1,000 or more, or incurred nomination campaign expenses totalling $1,000 or more (note that transfers to affiliated political entities are not nomination campaign expenses).

^Note 3 Required if the campaign accepted contributions totalling $10,000 or more, or incurred nomination campaign expenses totalling $10,000 or more (note that transfers to affiliated political entities are not nomination campaign expenses).

It is very important to give the auditor enough time to properly audit the Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return before the deadline.

Additional reporting

In some cases, reporting obligations continue well past the selection date. The campaign might still have unpaid claims or loans, or need to correct an error in the contestant's return. The following table summarizes these additional reporting requirements.

Note: If the selection date falls with an election period or within 30 days before it, a reference to the selection date in the table below is to be read as election day.

Report	Description	Deadline	Who is responsible
Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return (EC 20171)
Corrected or revised, as requested by the nomination contestant or financial agent	The contestant or the financial agent may become aware of a need to make a correction or report new transactions in a return that has been filed. In that case, the contestant or the financial agent has to submit a written request for authorization to file a corrected or revised return.	30 days after the correction or revision was authorized	Nomination contestant or financial agent
Corrected or revised, as requested by Elections Canada	On review, Elections Canada may request the financial agent to correct or revise the campaign return.	Within a period specified by Elections Canada	Financial agent
Updated after the final payment of a claim or loan	The financial agent must send an updated Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return indicating the source of funds used to pay the claim or loan.	30 days after a claim or loan is paid*	Financial agent
Nomination Contestant's Statement of Unpaid Claims and Loans 18 or 36 Months After the Selection Date (EC 20001)
Statement as of 18 months after the selection date	This statement is required if the campaign still has unpaid claims and loans 18 months after the selection date.	19 months after selection date	Financial agent
Statement as of 36 months after the selection date	This statement is required if the campaign still has unpaid claims and loans 36 months after the selection date.	37 months after selection date	Financial agent

*Claims and loans must be paid within 36 months after the selection date. Authorization is required from Elections Canada or a judge to pay claims or loans more than 36 months after the selection date.

Submitting reports to Elections Canada

Financial forms and instructions are available on the Elections Canada website.

Elections Canada has developed free software to assist with the preparation of financial returns: the Electronic Financial Return (EFR) software. The EFR software can be accessed from the Elections Canada website.

Note: Using EFR to complete or update the Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return makes reporting much easier because EFR validates the entries and creates a submission file with the required fields populated.

How to submit reports to Elections Canada
Process	Sign the pages requiring signature. Send the reports to Elections Canada by email (in PDF format), courier, mail or fax. Send supporting documentation to Elections Canada by email, courier or mail. If you used EFR : Send the submission file created by the system (in ZIP format) and a copy of the pages requiring signature (in PDF format) by email.
Email	efr-rfe@elections.ca
Mail	Elections Canada 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M6
Fax	Political Financing 1-888-523-9333 (toll-free) 1-819-939-1803

Notes

Documents submitted to Elections Canada have to be signed.
It is recommended that the campaign keep a copy of all documents submitted.

Requesting a filing deadline extension

Reports eligible for an extension

The Canada Elections Act specifies deadlines for submitting reports. The financial agent or the nomination contestant may apply for an extension if they cannot submit a report on time.

If only a few invoices or receipts are missing, campaigns should submit the mandatory documents on time and send the missing documentation later.

The following table explains which documents are eligible for an extension and from whom.

Nomination contestant reports—extension requests
Report	Extension from Elections Canada	Additional extension from Elections Canada	Extension froma judge
Nomination Contestant's Campaign Return
Original submission, including the auditor's report (if required)	Yes	No	Yes
Updated after the final payment of a claim or loan at any time after the selection date	Yes	No	Yes
Corrected or revised, as requested by the nomination contestant or the financial agent	Yes	Yes	No
Corrected or revised, as requested byElections Canada	No	No	No*
Nomination Contestant's Statement of Unpaid Claims and Loans 18 or 36 Months After the Selection Date
Statement as of 18 months after the selection date	Yes	No	Yes
Statement as of 36 months after the selection date	Yes	No	Yes

*Corrections or revisions requested by Elections Canada are not eligible for extensions and must be filed within the specified period. However, the financial agent or the nomination contestant can apply to a judge to be relieved of the obligation of complying with the request.

Submitting a request for an extension

To apply for an extension, the financial agent or the nomination contestant has to send the Request for Extension of Filing Deadline form. It must be received by Elections Canada no later than two weeks after the filing deadline.

Note: Only a judge may grant an extension requested more than two weeks after the deadline has passed.

Elections Canada will grant an extension unless the financial agent's failure to provide the document was deliberate or was the result of a failure to exercise due diligence.

If Elections Canada refuses to authorize an extension or if the financial agent or nomination contestant is unable to file the required documents within the extended period, the nomination contestant or the financial agent may apply to a judge for an extension.

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