ARCHIVED - Office of the Chief Electoral Officer - Supplementary Tables

1. Strategic Outcome: An Accessible Electoral Framework That Canadians Trust and Use

2. Program Activity: Regulation of Electoral Activities

3. Name of Transfer Payment Program: Reimbursements to candidates and political parties, and allowances to eligible political parties (political financing provisions of the Canada Elections Act, statutory payments).

4. Start date: Ongoing

5. End date: Ongoing

6. 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 partial reimbursement of election expenses to candidates (for by-elections and general elections) and parties (for general elections only) as well as a subsidy for certain auditor's fees. These payments apply only when a by-election or general election takes place.

To be eligible for partial reimbursement of election expenses, candidates must be elected or obtain at least 10 percent of the valid votes cast in their electoral district. Registered parties must obtain at least 2 percent of the valid votes cast nationally or 5 percent of the valid votes cast in electoral districts where the party has endorsed candidates.

Registered parties that meet the reimbursement criteria also receive quarterly allowances based on the number of votes they obtained in the previous general election.

A subsidy not exceeding $1,500 is sent directly to the external auditors of candidates and to auditors of qualified registered associations. To qualify for an audit subsidy, an association must have accepted contributions or incurred expenses totalling $5,000 or more during the year.

		Calculation of Reimbursement	Minimum Reimbursement	Maximum Reimbursement
Election expenses	Candidates	60% of the sum of paid election expenses and paid personal expenses	N/A	60% of established spending limit
	Registered parties	50% of paid election expenses	N/A	50% of established spending limit
Auditor's subsidy	Candidates	3% of election expenses	$250	$1,500
	Registered associations	Amount of the invoice	N/A	$1,500
Quarterly allowance	Registered parties	$0.4375 multiplied by the number of valid votes cast in the last general election and the inflation adjustment factor determined for that period	N/A	N/A

7. Expected Results: Political entities have access to statutory payments in accordance with the law.

($ thousands)	8. Forecast Spending 2010–2011	9. Planned Spending 2011–2012	10. Planned Spending 2012–2013	11. Planned Spending 2013–2014
12. Total grants	0	0	0	0
12. Total contributions	0	0	0	0
12. Total other types of transfer payments	28,469	28,204	28,204	28,204
13. Total transfer payments	28,469	28,204	28,204	28,204