Political Fundraising Laws in Canada
In 2009, a total of 181,858 individuals nationally (out of 23,677,639 registered voters in 2008) made political contributions to a federal political party organization, enabling 0.77% of registered voters to make over $33 million in subsidized contributions—nearly two-thirds of which were publicly funded—to their preferred parties. More than 55% of these people were supporters of the Conservative Party. [4] Private financing of federal political parties is provided by political contributions from individuals, but these contributions are heavily subsidized by public funds in the form of tax credits. Although only a tiny fraction of registered voters make political contributions, their net contributions are multiplied by several times by publicly subsidizing political contributions and public election expenses. [1] [4] Despite clear opposition from other parties, Stephen Harper pledged in an April 2011 election promise to unilaterally abolish the pro-vote subsidy if he won a majority. [29] [31] He explained: “Canadian political parties already have huge tax advantages, there are loans when you donate to political parties, there are rebates when political parties spend money.” [15] Yes. A charity may ask others to carry out any political activity on its behalf that it is authorized to carry out on its behalf. This includes hiring professional lobbying firms. “I would really appreciate it if we didn`t have to raise money and put it on taxpayers, which I don`t think ever will. We have to support people and we have to write those cheques. Disclosure of the text of a presentation before or after it is delivered to the elected official or representative is considered a charitable activity provided that the entire text is disseminated and does not explicitly call for political action, either in the text or in connection with the text (i.e. others should not be invited to address and ask for an elected official or public servant).
to retain it. comply with the law, oppose or modify policies or decisions of any level of government in Canada or any other country). Although the charity has explicitly proposed a political solution to the problem, this activity is non-profit since it is a communication to an elected official based on a well-reasoned position. We all agree with the appellant that educating people from a particular political or moral perspective can be educational in a charitable sense, since it allows listeners to make an informed and critical decision. However, an activity is not charitable education if it is carried on “exclusively for the promotion of a particular point of view” (according to Iacobucci Vancouver Society of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women J. v. M.N.R., [1999] 1 S.C.R. 10, at paragraph 169). Between the election and 2015, Canada`s federal political parties have two main sources of funding:[1][2] The Commission strongly recommends that campaigns encourage donors to nominate their contributions to specific elections. Some messages ensure that the contributor`s intent is communicated to the candidate`s campaign. In the case of contributions from political bodies, written designations also promote consistency in reporting, thus avoiding the possible occurrence of excessive contributions in reports.
According to Henry Jacek, a political scientist at McMaster University, political contributions come from the rich, not the poor. It is also clear from other countries around the world that political donors are generally people with higher disposable incomes. [8] [29] In 2006, Liberal leadership candidate Joe Volpe returned $27,000 in political donations made on behalf of children – after it was revealed that his campaign donors included 11-year-old twins and a 14-year-old boy who each donated $5,400, the maximum allowed. The children and several other donors, who each contributed the maximum allowable $5,400 – totalling $108,000 – were all linked in one way or another to the top executives of a pharmaceutical company. No laws have been broken. [14] [49] Although an organization established for a political purpose cannot be registered as a charity, a registered charity may engage in certain political activities to further its charitable purposes. However, charities do not have complete freedom to support every cause they love. Charities are subject to special legal regulations because of their charitable status and tax status.