Site MenuEstimated Cost of the 44th General Election
The revised estimated cost of delivering the 44th federal general election (GE) on September 20, 2021, is $560.6 million, or approximately $20.38 for each registered elector, in 2024 dollars. The cost of delivering a GE is typically spread out over three years and includes expenditures incurred well after election day, such as reimbursements for parties and candidates. Most of the cost of delivering the 44th GE was incurred in fiscal year 2021–2022, the year the election was held.
The estimated cost of the 44th GE includes expenditures related to delivering and closing out the election, which includes reimbursing parties and candidates for eligible election expenses. The cost of preparing for the election before the writs are issued is provided separately. The cost of readiness activities reflects the fact that Elections Canada needed to be able to deliver a GE at any time, given that we were under a minority government.
The final cost of the GE will be published once all the applicable invoices have been received and processed.
| in actual dollars | in 2024 dollars | |
|---|---|---|
| Conduct of the election and close-out activitiesfootnote 2 | $419.0 million | $480.4 million |
| Reimbursement of election expenses to parties and candidates (includes subsidies to candidates' auditors)footnote 3 | $69.9 million | $80.2 million |
| Total estimated delivery cost | $488.9 million | $560.6 million |
| Estimated delivery cost per elector | $17.77 | $20.38 |
| Readiness activities conducted before writs were issuedfootnote 4 | $128.0 million | $146.7 million |
Footnotes
Return to footnote 1 This amount remains an estimate until all the audits of election expenses and contribution reports are finalized, election expenses are reimbursed and other invoices are received and processed. The final cost of the GE will be published once all the applicable invoices have been received and processed.
Return to footnote 2 Costs incurred during and after the election, including to recruit and train more than 195,000 election workers and their service fees, to print ballots and lists of electors, to lease local offices and polling places, to run communication campaigns, to hire temporary resources and to deploy IT equipment and telecommunications.
Return to footnote 3 To be eligible for partial reimbursement of election expenses, candidates must be elected or obtain at least 10% of the valid votes cast in their electoral district. Registered parties must obtain at least 2% of the valid votes cast nationally or 5% of the valid votes cast in electoral districts where the party has endorsed candidates.
Return to footnote 4 Costs incurred before the issue of the writs in order to maintain readiness to deliver an election at any time under a minority government, including costs to hire temporary resources, to replenish and prepare election materials and IT equipment and to conduct pre-event assignments.
When comparing the cost of delivering the 43rd (2019) and 44th (2021) GEs, we must account for the fact that the cost of the 43rd GE is final, whereas the cost of the 44th is based on estimates and is subject to change over time. Certain key figures are also different (ex: the number of days in the election period).
| 43rd General Election October 21, 2019 | 44th General Election September 20, 2021 | Difference (increase or decrease) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Election period | 40 days | 36 days | -4 days (decrease) |
| Readiness period | 18 months under a majority government (date of election known) | 21 months under a minority government (date of election unknown) | 3 months (increase) plus uncertainty |
| Number of registered parties | 21 | 22 | 1 (increase) |
| Number of confirmed candidates | 2,146 | 2,010 | -136 (decrease) |
| Number of registered electors | 27,373,058 | 27,509,158 | 136,100 (increase) |
| Delivery cost (in 2024 dollars) | $480.7 million | $560.6 million (estimated) | $79.9 million (increase) 17% (increase) |
| Delivery cost per elector (in 2024 dollars) | $17.56 | $20.38 (estimated) | $2.82 (increase) 16% (increase) |
The difference between the estimated cost for the delivery and readiness activities of the 2019 and 2021 elections can be explained as follows:
| Cost Increase or Decrease of 2021 Election vs. 2019 Election | Source of Increase or Decrease | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| $49.2 million (increase) | Field offices and personnel (including increased rates of pay for field workers) | To improve services in the field, the pay rates of poll and other field workers were increased, and overtime provisions were introduced in the Federal Elections Fees Tariff. Also includes changes to the staffing model and office and poll operations and maintenance. |
| $24.9 million (increase) | Pandemic measures | In 2021, the election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make sure that Canadians were safely able to exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate, Elections Canada made many changes to its operations. This included additional costs for leasing field offices and polling places, for electoral administrators and for the voter information campaign. |
| $9.7 million (increase) | Elections Canada headquarters, including IT infrastructure | Elections Canada hired extra resources to support field services, the distribution centre, recruitment, compensation, auditing and other services across the agency, and upgraded IT equipment, systems and Web hosting services. |
| $3.9 million (increase) | Reimbursements to parties and candidates | This increase is mostly related to an increase in expenses of political parties, which Elections Canada has no control over. |
| $(7.8) million (decrease) | Shorter calendar length | The election period was 36 days in 2021 and 40 days in 2019. It was preceded by the early opening of local offices. The shorter period in 2021 resulted in decreased costs of delivering the election. |
| $79.9 million (increase) | Total Delivery Cost Increase |
| Cost Increase or Decrease of 2021 Election vs. 2019 Election | Source of Increase or Decrease | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| $32.2 million (increase) | Pandemic measures | In 2021, the election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. To make sure that Canadians were safely able to exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate, Elections Canada made many changes to its operations. This included costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), special ballot kits and changes to IT systems to support voting by mail applications. |
| $5.5 million (increase) | Readiness cost due to timing of election | Under a minority government, the level of readiness is higher and the duration of readiness is longer because we have to be prepared to conduct a federal election at any time. The timing of the election is outside of Elections Canada's control. |
| $37.7 million (increase) | Total Readiness Cost Increase |