The Canada Elections Act (French: Loi électorale du Canada) is an Act of the Parliament of Canada which regulates the election of members of parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. The Act has been amended many times over Canada's history.
Canada Elections Act, 2000 | |
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Parliament of Canada | |
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Citation | S.C. 2000, c. 9 |
Enacted by | Parliament of Canada |
Assented to | May 31, 2000 |
Legislative history | |
First reading | House: October 14, 1999 / Senate: February 29, 2000 |
Second reading | House: February 22, 2000 / Senate: March 28, 2000 |
Third reading | House: February 28, 2000 / Senate: May 31, 2000 |
Committee report | House: February 22, 2000 / Senate: April 13, 2000 |
Status: Amended |
The Canada Election Act limits spending on election advertising by interest groups, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in Harper v. Canada (Attorney General) (2004). It also sets out various provisions regarding the publication or broadcast of election advertising and election results.
In 1989, the government of Canada appointed the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing regarding restrictions in the Elections Act inconsistent with Section Three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[1]
In 1996, the Act was amended to establish a Register of Electors[2] and the International Register of Electors.[3]
In 2003, the Act was extended to cover the nomination contests of registered parties.[4] In 2007, it was amended to mandate fixed election dates.
In 2015, wealthy U.S.-style political action committees (PAC) organizations were introduced to Ontario and Alberta and were expected to play a major role in Canadian political elections at the provincial and federal level. PACs are new to Canadian federal politics and are "technically federal non-profit corporations"[9] registered with Industry Canada. The Canada Elections Act allows PACs to "spend up to $150,000 on third-party advertising during an election" but "spending outside the election period is [/was] unlimited." up until the enactment of the Elections Modernization Act in 2018, even after which spending was nonetheless unlimited outside of the defined pre-election periods. In Ontario, the union-funded Working Families Coalition, spent millions on anti-conservative ads before the 2015 Ontario provincial elections. The left-leaning organization Engage Canada, which released its first anti-Harper attack ad early June 2015.[9] The right-leaning Conservative PAC Foundation founded by high-profile Alberta conservatives Jonathan Denis, Brad Tennant and Zoe Addington in June 2015 funded advertising in support of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[9] The developer-funded right-wing group Ontario Proud and related groups have been active in Canadian elections since 2018.
Prior to September 1, 2017, the obligation [with regard to offering time for sale to political parties] did not apply to pay television services, but on that day the CRTC deleted the prohibition of commercial advertising that applied to those services.