Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9)

Corrections, Revisions and Extended Reporting Periods

Marginal note:Minor corrections — Chief Electoral Officer

• 476.83 (1) The Chief Electoral Officer may correct a document referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15) if the correction does not materially affect its substance.

• Marginal note:Corrections or revisions at request of Chief Electoral Officer

  (2) The Chief Electoral Officer may in writing request a nomination contestant’s financial agent to correct or revise, within a specified period, a document referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15).

• Marginal note:Deadline for corrections or revisions

  (3) If the Chief Electoral Officer requests the correction or revision, the nomination contestant’s financial agent shall provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the corrected or revised version of the document within the specified period.

Marginal note:Extensions — Chief Electoral Officer

• 476.84 (1) The Chief Electoral Officer, on the written application of a nomination contestant or their financial agent, shall authorize the extension of a period referred to in subsection 476.75(7), (10), (11), (12) or (15), unless he or she is satisfied that the financial agent’s failure to provide the required documents was deliberate or was the result of the financial agent’s failure to exercise due diligence.

• Marginal note:Deadline

  (2) The application may be made within the period referred to in subsection 476.75(7), (10), (11), (12) or (15) or within two weeks after the end of that period.

Marginal note:Corrections or revisions — Chief Electoral Officer

• 476.85 (1) The Chief Electoral Officer, on the written application of a nomination contestant or their financial agent, shall authorize the correction or revision of a document referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15) if he or she is satisfied by the evidence submitted by the applicant that the correction or revision is necessary in order for the requirements of this Act to be complied with.

• Marginal note:Application made without delay

  (2) The application shall be made immediately after the applicant becomes aware of the need for correction or revision.

• Marginal note:Deadline for corrections or revisions

  (3) The applicant shall provide the Chief Electoral Officer with the corrected or revised version of the document within 30 days after the day on which the correction or revision is authorized or within any extension of that period authorized under subsection (4) or (5).

• Marginal note:New deadline

  (4) The Chief Electoral Officer, on the written application of the applicant made within two weeks after the end of the 30-day period referred to in subsection (3), shall authorize the extension of that period, unless he or she is satisfied that the applicant’s failure to provide the corrected or revised version of the document was deliberate or was the result of their failure to exercise due diligence.

• Marginal note:Extension of new deadline

  (5) The Chief Electoral Officer, on the written application of the applicant made within two weeks after the end of an extension authorized under subsection (4) or under this subsection, shall authorize the further extension of that period, unless he or she is satisfied that the applicant’s failure to provide the corrected or revised version of the document was deliberate or was the result of their failure to exercise due diligence.

Marginal note:Extensions, corrections or revisions — judge

• 476.86 (1) A nomination contestant or their financial agent may apply to a judge for an order

  • (a) relieving the financial agent from the obligation to comply with a request referred to in subsection 476.83(2);

  • (b) authorizing an extension referred to in subsection 476.84(1); or

  • (c) authorizing a correction or revision referred to in subsection 476.85(1).

  The applicant shall notify the Chief Electoral Officer that the application has been made.

• Marginal note:Deadline

  (2) The application may be made

  • (a) under paragraph (1)(a), within the specified period referred to in subsection 476.83(2) or within the two weeks after the end of that period;

  • (b) under paragraph (1)(b), within two weeks after, as the case may be,

    • (i) if an application for an extension is not made to the Chief Electoral Officer within the period referred to in subsection 476.84(2), the end of the two-week period referred to in that subsection,

    • (ii) the rejection of an application for an extension made in accordance with section 476.84, or

    • (iii) the end of the extended period referred to in subsection 476.84(1); or

  • (c) under paragraph (1)(c), within two weeks after the rejection of an application for a correction or revision made in accordance with section 476.85.

• Marginal note:Grounds — relief from compliance

  (3) The judge shall grant an order relieving the financial agent from the obligation to comply with a request referred to in subsection 476.83(2) if the judge is satisfied by the evidence submitted by the applicant that the correction or revision is not necessary in order for the requirements of this Act to be complied with.

• Marginal note:Grounds — extension

  (4) The judge shall grant an order authorizing an extension unless the judge is satisfied that the financial agent’s failure to provide the required documents was deliberate or was the result of their failure to exercise due diligence.

• Marginal note:Grounds — corrections or revisions

  (5) The judge shall grant an order authorizing a correction or revision if the judge is satisfied by the evidence submitted by the applicant that the correction or revision is necessary in order for the requirements of this Act to be complied with.

• Marginal note:Contents of order

  (6) An order under subsection (1) may require that the applicant satisfy any condition that the judge considers necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

Marginal note:Appearance of financial agent before judge

• 476.87 (1) A judge dealing with an application under section 476.86 or 476.88 who is satisfied that a nomination contestant or a financial agent has not provided the documents referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15) in accordance with this Act because of a failure of the financial agent or a predecessor of the financial agent shall, by order served personally, require the financial agent or that predecessor to appear before the judge.

• Marginal note:Show cause orders

  (2) The judge shall, unless the financial agent or predecessor on his or her appearance shows cause why an order should not be issued, order in writing that the agent or predecessor

  • (a) do anything that the judge considers appropriate in order to remedy the failure; or

  • (b) be examined concerning any information that pertains to the failure.

Marginal note:Recourse of contestant for fault of financial agent

476.88 A nomination contestant may apply to a judge for an order that relieves the contestant from any liability or consequence under this or any other Act of Parliament in relation to an act or omission of the contestant’s financial agent, if the contestant establishes that

• (a) it occurred without his or her knowledge or acquiescence; or

• (b) he or she exercised all due diligence to avoid its occurrence.

The contestant shall notify the Chief Electoral Officer that the application has been made.

Marginal note:Destruction of documents — judge

• 476.89 (1) A nomination contestant or their financial agent may apply to a judge for an order relieving the financial agent from the obligation to provide a document referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15). The applicant shall notify the Chief Electoral Officer that the application has been made.

• Marginal note:Grounds

  (2) The judge may grant the order only if the judge is satisfied that the applicant cannot provide the documents because of their destruction by a superior force, including a flood, fire or other disaster.

• Marginal note:Date of relief

  (3) For the purposes of this Act, the applicant is relieved from the obligation referred to in subsection (1) on the date of the order.

Marginal note:Prohibition — false or misleading declaration

476.891 No nomination contestant shall send to their financial agent a declaration referred to in paragraph 476.75(1)(d) that they know or reasonably ought to know is false or misleading.

Marginal note:Prohibition — false, misleading or incomplete document

476.9 No financial agent of a nomination contestant shall provide the Chief Electoral Officer with a document referred to in subsection 476.75(1), (10), (11), (12) or (15) that

• (a) the financial agent knows or ought reasonably to know contains a material statement that is false or misleading; or

• (b) in the case of a document referred to in paragraph 476.75(1)(a), does not substantially set out the information required under subsection 476.75(2) and, in the case of a document referred to in subsection 476.75(10), (11), (12) or (15), does not substantially set out the information required under that subsection.

Payment of Audit Expenses

Marginal note:Certificate

• 476.901 (1) On receipt of the documents referred to in subsection 476.75(1), including the auditor’s report, and a copy of the auditor’s invoice for the report, the Chief Electoral Officer shall provide the Receiver General with a certificate that sets out the greater of

  • (a) the amount of the expenses incurred for the audit, up to a maximum of the lesser of 3% of the nomination contestant’s nomination contest expenses and $1,500, and

  • (b) $250.

• Marginal note:Payment

  (2) On receipt of the certificate, the Receiver General shall pay the amount set out in it to the auditor out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

• Marginal note:Inflation adjustment factor

  (3) The $1,500 amount set out in paragraph (1)(a) and the $250 amount set out in paragraph (1)(b) shall be multiplied by the inflation adjustment factor referred to in section 384 that is in effect on the selection date.

Surplus of Nomination Campaign Funds

Marginal note:Surplus of nomination campaign funds

• 476.91 (1) The surplus amount of nomination campaign funds that a nomination contestant receives for a nomination contest is the amount by which the sum of the following is more than the sum of the contestant’s nomination campaign expenses paid from the bank account referred to in subsection 476.65(1) and any transfers referred to in paragraph 364(5)(a):

  • (a) contributions accepted by the financial agent on behalf of the contestant;

  • (b) money received from the sale referred to in subsection (2); and

  • (c) any other amounts received by the contestant for their nomination campaign that are required to be deposited into the bank account referred to in subsection 476.65(1) and are not repayable.

• Marginal note:Sale of capital assets

  (2) Before the surplus amount of nomination campaign funds is disposed of in accordance with sections 476.92 and 476.93, a nomination contestant’s financial agent shall sell, at their fair market value, any capital assets whose acquisition constitutes a nomination campaign expense.

Marginal note:Notice of estimated surplus

• 476.92 (1) If the Chief Electoral Officer estimates that a nomination contestant has a surplus of nomination campaign funds, the Chief Electoral Officer shall issue a notice of the estimated amount of the surplus to the contestant’s financial agent.

• Marginal note:Disposal of surplus funds

  (2) The nomination contestant’s financial agent shall dispose of a surplus of nomination campaign funds within 60 days after the day on which they receive the notice of estimated surplus.

• Marginal note:Disposal without notice

  (3) If a nomination contestant has a surplus of nomination campaign funds but their financial agent has not received a notice of estimated surplus, the financial agent shall dispose of the surplus within 60 days after the day on which the Chief Electoral Officer is provided with the contestant’s nomination campaign return.

Marginal note:Method of disposal of surplus

476.93 A nomination contestant’s financial agent shall dispose of surplus nomination campaign funds by transferring them to

• (a) the official agent of the candidate endorsed by the registered party in the electoral district in which the nomination contest was held; or

• (b) the registered association that held the nomination contest or the registered party for whose endorsement the contest was held.

Marginal note:Notice of disposal of surplus

• 476.94 (1) A nomination contestant’s financial agent shall, within seven days after disposing of the contestant’s surplus nomination campaign funds, give the Chief Electoral Officer a notice in the prescribed form of the amount and date of the disposal and to whom the surplus was transferred.

• Marginal note:Publication

  (2) As soon as feasible after the disposal of a nomination contestant’s surplus nomination campaign funds, the Chief Electoral Officer shall publish the notice in any manner that he or she considers appropriate.

DIVISION 5Candidates

SUBDIVISION AOfficial Agent and Auditor

Marginal note:Deeming

477 For the purposes of Division 1 of this Part and this Division, except sections 477.89 to 477.95, a candidate is deemed to have been a candidate from the time they accept a provision of goods or services under section 364, accept a transfer of funds under that section, accept a contribution, borrow money under section 373 or incur an electoral campaign expense within the meaning of subsection 375(1).

Marginal note:Duty to appoint official agent

• 477.1 (1) A candidate shall appoint an official agent before accepting a provision of goods or services under section 364, accepting a transfer of funds under that section, accepting a contribution, borrowing money under section 373 or incurring an electoral campaign expense within the meaning of subsection 375(1).

• Marginal note:Appointment of auditor

  (2) A candidate shall appoint an auditor without delay if

  • (a) they accept contributions of $10,000 or more in total;

  • (b) they incur electoral campaign expenses of $10,000 or more in total; or

  • (c) they receive 10% or more of the valid votes cast in the electoral district in which they are a candidate.