Close X
Friday, January 10, 2025
ADVT 
National

Longer Federal Election Campaign Will Cost Taxpayers Millions More

IANS, 29 Jul, 2015 11:46 AM
    OTTAWA — It's not just political parties that will be spending money hand over fist if Stephen Harper fires the starting gun for the Oct. 19 federal election weeks earlier than necessary.
     
    Taxpayers will be shelling out big bucks, too — millions in extra administrative costs and tens of millions more in rebates to parties and candidates for their inflated election expenses.
     
    Speculation is rampant that Harper is poised to officially kick off the election campaign — known as the writ period — as early as this weekend.
     
    That would make for an 11-week campaign, the longest federal campaign since 1926 and more than twice the five weeks typically allotted for campaigns in recent times.
     
    Elections Canada estimates that a campaign this fall of 37 days — the minimum required by law — would cost roughly $375 million to administer.
     
    The agency was not able to estimate how much more a longer campaign would cost, but spokeswoman Diane Benson acknowledged there would indeed be some additional expenses.
     
    For instance, she said Elections Canada will have to pay for longer office leases for returning officers in each of the country's 338 ridings; telephones, equipment and furniture rentals for those offices; additional hours for staff; and Elections Canada staff who handle public inquiries.
     
    A longer campaign puts the squeeze on taxpayers in other ways too, since they subsidize the donations that fuel campaigns and then subsidize parties and their candidates again for spending that money during a campaign.
     
    Most of the money parties and candidates will be throwing around during the campaign comes from donations, which are worth a generous tax credit of 75 per cent on the first $400, 50 per cent on the next $350 and 33.3 per cent on the next $500.
     
    The Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimates those tax credits are worth somewhere between $16 million and $36 million per year in foregone revenue.
     
    Each party running a full slate of candidates is entitled to spend a maximum of about $25 million for a five-week campaign; each candidate an average of about $100,000.
     
    But, under the recently passed Fair Elections Act, those spending limits will increase by 1/37 for each day a campaign exceeds 37 days. That's an extra $675,000 per day for each party's national campaign, an additional $2,700 per day for their candidates.
     
    A campaign that is double the minimum length would effectively double the spending limits and, theoretically, double the amount of money parties and candidates stand to be reimbursed — by taxpayers — when it's all over.
     
    Parties are entitled to rebates of up to 50 per cent of their eligible election expenses; candidates up to 60 per cent.
     
    The major parties are promising to spend the maximum allowed, or very close to it. However, few candidates will likely be able to afford to take full advantage of increased spending limits, making it hard to estimate how much their rebates could go up.
     
    Still, the rebates will undoubtedly be considerably higher than the rebates handed out to parties and candidates after the five-week election campaign in 2011. Elections Canada estimates that tab topped $60 million.
     
    Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the taxpayers' federation, says his organization appreciates that elections, like other fundamental democratic institutions, deserve to be properly funded. In addition, his group does not take issue with leaving the length of campaigns to the prime minister's discretion.
     
    However, he says abuses and excessive costs could be avoided if taxpayers weren't subsidizing donations to political parties in the first place.
     
    "Our main position is to get rid of the subsidy," Wudrick says.
     
    "If parties had to work harder for their money and/or had less of it, they wouldn't want longer writ periods. They'd be far more careful with their resources."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Ontario Court Sides With Uber In Legal Battle With City Of Toronto

    Ontario Court Sides With Uber In Legal Battle With City Of Toronto
    The city sought a permanent injunction on the company's operations, arguing Uber is a taxi company and must abide by the city's regulations.

    Ontario Court Sides With Uber In Legal Battle With City Of Toronto

    Growing Number Of Canadians Cutting Traditional Television: CBC Report

    Growing Number Of Canadians Cutting Traditional Television: CBC Report
    The May 2015 report said more than half of Canadians currently without cable television have "cut the cord," meaning they had a television subscription and cancelled it.

    Growing Number Of Canadians Cutting Traditional Television: CBC Report

    Specially-Abled Delhi Woman Tops India's Civil Services Exams; Women Take Top Four

    Specially-Abled Delhi Woman Tops India's Civil Services Exams; Women Take Top Four
    Of the top five candidates, four were women -- Ira Singhal (1), Renu Raj (2), Nishi Gupta (3) and Vandana Rao (4).

    Specially-Abled Delhi Woman Tops India's Civil Services Exams; Women Take Top Four

    More Firefighters Called In To Battle Central Vancouver Island Wildfire

    More Firefighters Called In To Battle Central Vancouver Island Wildfire
    LADYSMITH, B.C. — Four homes have been evacuated on central Vancouver Island as firefighters battle a grass fire that has grown to about 20 hectares.

    More Firefighters Called In To Battle Central Vancouver Island Wildfire

    Census Definition Of Secondary Residence Appears Clearer Than Senate Rules

    When Canadians receive their census questionnaire next year, they'll be asked to fill out the address of their "secondary residence," if they happen to have one and are at that location on census day.

    Census Definition Of Secondary Residence Appears Clearer Than Senate Rules

    B.C. Health Minister Wants Ombudsperson To Investigate Firings Of Eight Workers

    VICTORIA — British Columbia's government has launched its second public review, but has stopped short of calling a full independent inquiry, into a long-running scandal that saw eight health researchers fired, one of whom took his own life. 

    B.C. Health Minister Wants Ombudsperson To Investigate Firings Of Eight Workers