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Table 3: Details on Transfer Payment Programs (TPPs)



1) Name of Transfer Payment Program: Reimbursements to candidates, parties and auditors, and allowances to eligible political parties (new political financing provisions of the Canada Elections Act)
2) Start Date: Ongoing 3) End Date: Ongoing
4) Description: Elections Canada’s role is to administer the Canada Elections Act, which has three main objectives: fairness, transparency and participation.

To promote fairness and participation, the Act provides for reimbursement of election expenses to candidates and parties, and a subsidy for certain auditors’ fees. A candidate who is elected or receives at least 10% of the valid votes cast at an election is entitled to a reimbursement of 60% of the election expenses limit. A registered party is eligible for reimbursement of election expenses if the party obtains 2% or more of the total valid votes cast nationally, or 5% of the valid votes cast in electoral districts where the party has endorsed candidates. The Act provides for a subsidy, equal to the lesser of $1,500 or 3% of the candidate’s election expenses with a minimum of $250, to be paid out of public funds directly to the candidate’s auditor.

A registered association that has, in a fiscal period, accepted contributions or incurred expenses of $5,000 or more in total (less transfers to other political entities), must obtain an audit report that provides an audit opinion as to whether the Registered Association Financial Transactions Return presents fairly the information contained in the financial records on which it is based. When an audit of the Registered Association Financial Transactions Return is required, the Act provides for a subsidy of a maximum of $1,500 for the audit of the expenses. This amount is paid out of public funds directly to the electoral district association’s auditor after the Chief Electoral Officer has received the return, the auditor’s report and other documents required to accompany the return.

For eligible political parties, the Act also provides for the payment of a quarterly allowance according to the following formula: a registered political party that obtained at least 2% of the total valid votes cast in a general election, or 5% of the valid votes cast in the ridings where it presented candidates, has the right to a quarterly allowance that is calculated as the product of $0.4375 multiplied by the number of valid votes cast in the most recent general election preceding that quarter and the inflation adjustment factor that is in effect for that quarter.

5) Strategic Outcomes: To maintain and strengthen the recognition among Canadians, whether they are electors or other participants in the electoral process, that we administer the Canada Elections Act in a fair, consistent, effective and transparent manner.
6) Results Achieved: Elections Canada issued election expense reimbursements to eligible candidates, audit subsidies to candidate and registered electoral district association auditors, and quarterly allowances to eligible registered parties in accordance with the Act.
($ thousands) 7) Actual
spending 2005–2006
8) Actual spending
2006–2007
9) Planned spending 2007–2008 10) Total authorities
2007–2008
11) Actual spending
2007–2008
12) Variance(s) between columns
9 and 11
13) General elections and by-elections

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Candidates

24,628

(684)

 

158

158

(158)

– Political parties

27,998

(816)

 

4

4

(4)

– Candidates’ auditors

1,124

(246)

 

51

51

(51)

14) Quarterly allowances

 

 

 

 

 

 

– Allowance to eligible political parties

24,536

27,452

28,141

28,016

28,016

125

15) Electoral district associations’ auditors
– Electoral district associations’ auditors

932

879

902

804

804

98

16) Total TPP

79,218

26,585

29,043

29,033

29,033

10