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ARCHIVED - Office of the Chief Electoral Officer - Supplementary Tables


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Details of 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 (the Act), which has two main objectives: fairness and transparency.

To promote fairness, the Act provides for reimbursement of election expenses to candidates and parties, as well as a subsidy for certain auditors' fees. A candidate who is elected or who receives at least 10% of the valid votes cast in an election is entitled to a reimbursement of 60% of paid election expenses and paid personal expenses, not exceeding 60% of the election expenses limit. A registered party is eligible for reimbursement equivalent to 50% of election expenses paid if the party obtained 2% or more of the total valid votes cast nationally, or 5% of the valid votes cast in electoral districts where the party endorsed candidates. The Act provides for a subsidy, equal to the lesser of $1,500 or 3% of the candidate's election expenses, but a minimum of $250, to be paid out of public funds directly to the candidates' 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 opinion as to whether the Registered Association Financial Transactions Return fairly presents the information contained in the financial records on which it is based. When an audit of this return is required, the Act provides for a subsidy of a maximum of $1,500 for that audit. 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 that must 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: In accordance with the Act, Elections Canada issued election expense reimbursements to eligible candidates, audit subsidies to candidates' and registered electoral district associations' auditors and quarterly allowances to eligible registered parties.

 

($ thousands)
 
7. Actual Spending 2007–08 8. Actual Spending 2008–09 9. Planned Spending 2009–10 10. Total Authorities 2009–10 11. Actual Spending 2009–10 12. Variance(s) Between Columns 9 and 11
13. General elections and by-elections
Candidates 158 27,715 (992) (992) 992
Political parties 4 29,182
Candidates' auditors 51 1,269   (28) (28) 28
14. Quarterly allowances
Allowance to eligible political parties 28,016 28,151 28,150 27,330 27,330 820
15. Electoral district associations' auditors
Electoral district associations' auditors 804 825 850 874 874 (24)
16. Total TPP 29,033 87,142 29,000 27,184 27,184 1,816