REPORT OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER - 2017 PROVINCIAL GENERAL ELECTION Secondary Menu button for mobile only

SECTION 6

Campaign Financing

Financing report summaries from political parties, constituency associations, candidates and election advertising sponsors

Introduction

Under the Election Act, financial agents for candidates, registered political parties represented by a candidate in an election and associated registered constituency associations are required to file election financing reports with the Chief Electoral Officer within 90 days after General Voting Day. Individuals and organizations that sponsor election advertising are required to register with Elections BC. Registered election advertising sponsors who sponsor election advertising with a value of $500 or more are required to file election advertising disclosure reports within 90 days after General Voting Day.

Following are summaries of election financing reports and election advertising disclosure reports received by Elections BC. The summaries reflect the financing reports as filed and do not include subsequent amendments. After filing, Elections BC staff review the reports for accuracy and completeness. The filed reports and any subsequent amendments are available for viewing on the Elections BC website. Because Elections BC does not include cents in the summaries, there may be some small differences from the original reports due to rounding.

The financial filing deadline was 4:30 p.m. on August 8, 2017.

Election expenses limits

The expenses limits for the 2017 Provincial General Election were:

Registered constituency associations are prohibited from incurring election expenses except on behalf of a candidate, and any such expenses are considered to be election expenses of the candidate. Therefore, constituency associations do not have an election expenses limit.

Registered political parties

The election financing information in this report includes both the total inflows and total outflows for each registered political party which endorsed a candidate. Total inflows and total outflows may not be equal. This commonly occurs because the reporting periods are different for inflows and outflows.

Total inflows include income and loans received. Except for other income, total inflows are reported from January 1, 2017 to the close of voting on General Voting Day. Other income is miscellaneous income related to the election only.

Political contributions: amount of money or the value of any property or services provided without compensation by way of donation, advance, deposit, discount or otherwise.

Transfers received: non-reciprocal receipts of money, goods or services from a registered constituency association, a candidate or a leadership contestant.

Fundraising income: the portion of income from fundraising functions that is not reported as political contributions.

Other income: income related to the election from miscellaneous sources.

Loans received: the original amount of loans received for election expenses. Some or all of the loan may have been repaid.

Total outflows are related to the election only and are categorized as follows:

Election expenses subject to the expenses limits: the value of property or services used during the campaign period, by or on behalf of a registered political party, registered constituency association, or a candidate to promote or oppose a registered political party or a candidate (e.g. advertising and campaign office expenses). The campaign period is the time between when an election is called (April 11, 2017) and the close of general voting (May 9, 2017). The Election Act limits the amount of election expenses a registered political party or candidate can incur during this period.

Election expenses not subject to the expenses limits: election expenses specifically excluded from the election expenses limits (e.g. audit fees). This type of expense is described in section 203 of the Election Act.

Other expenses: the value of goods and services used outside the campaign period but in relation to the election.

Transfers given: non-reciprocal provisions of money, goods or services to a registered constituency association, a candidate or a leadership contestant.

Registered constituency associations

Registered constituency associations are prohibited from incurring election expenses, except on behalf of a candidate. All election expenses incurred on behalf of a candidate must be included in the candidate’s election expenses. Therefore, constituency associations do not report any expenses in their election financing reports. The only outflows reported are transfers given between January 1, 2017 and General Voting Day. Total inflows include income and loans received. Income is from January 1, 2017 to the close of voting on General Voting Day.

Political contributions: amount of money or the value of any property or services provided without compensation by way of donation, advance, deposit, discount or otherwise.

Transfers received: non-reciprocal receipts of money, goods or services from a registered political party or a candidate.

Fundraising income: the portion of income from fundraising functions that is not reported as political contributions.

Loans received: the original amount of loans received for election expenses. Some or all of the loan may have been repaid.

The only outflows reported by registered constituency associations in election financing reports are:

Transfers given: non-reciprocal provisions of money, goods or services to a registered political party or a candidate.

Candidates

The election financing information for candidates in this report includes both the total inflows and outflows. Total inflows and total outflows may not be equal. This commonly occurs when items owned by a candidate prior to a campaign period are used, and therefore reported as election expenses but not as inflows.

Political contributions: amount of money or the value of any property or services provided without compensation by way of donation, advance, deposit, discount or otherwise.

Transfers received: non-reciprocal receipts of money, goods or services from a registered political party or a registered constituency association.

Fundraising income: the portion of income from fundraising functions that is not reported as political contributions.

Other income: income related to the election from miscellaneous sources.

Loans received: the original amount of loans received for election expenses. Some or all of the loan may have been repaid.

Total outflows are categorized as follows:

Election expenses subject to the expenses limits: the value of property or services used during the campaign period, by or on behalf of a registered political party, registered constituency association, or a candidate to promote or oppose a registered political party or a candidate (e.g. advertising and campaign office expenses). The campaign period is the time between when an election is called (April 11, 2017) and the close of general voting (May 9, 2017). The Election Act limits the amount of election expenses a registered political party or candidate can incur.

Election expenses not subject to the expenses limits: election expenses specifically excluded from the election expenses limits (e.g. nomination deposits and audit fees). This type of expense is described in section 203 of the Election Act.

Other expenses: the value of goods and services used outside the campaign period but in relation to the election.

Transfers given: non-reciprocal provisions of money, goods or services to a registered political party or a registered constituency association.

Registered election advertising sponsors

The following definitions are relevant to election advertising sponsors:

Election advertising: the transmission, by any means, of an advertising message to the public that:

  • is transmitted during the campaign period, and
  • promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, a registered political party or the election of a candidate. This includes taking a position on an issue with which a candidate or registered political party is associated.

Election advertising does not include:

  • messages on the Internet that do not and would not normally have a placement cost, including free social media posts, websites and videos.
  • the publication without charge of news, an editorial, an interview, a column, a letter, a debate, a speech or a commentary in a bona fide periodical publication or a radio or television program,
  • the distribution of a book, or the promotion of the sale of a book, for no less than its commercial value, if the book was planned to be made available to the public regardless of whether there was to be an election,
  • the transmission of a document directly by a person or group to their members, employees or shareholders, or
  • the transmission by an individual, on a non-commercial basis on the Internet, or by telephone or text messaging, of his or her personal political views.

Contributions: money provided to a sponsor of election advertising during the period beginning six months before an election is called and ending on General Voting Day.

Amount of sponsor’s assets used: the value of the sponsor’s assets used to pay for election advertising. This amount does not include contributions referred to above.

Value of election advertising: the market value of preparing and conducting election advertising.

All election advertising sponsors must be registered. Under section 244 of the Election Act, an election advertising sponsor is not required to file a disclosure report if, during the campaign period, the advertising sponsored did not have a total value of $500 or more.

The summaries of disclosure reports for election advertising sponsors who sponsored election advertising with a total value of $500 or more are included in this report.

Filing deadlines

Election financing and disclosure reports for the 2017 Provincial General Election were due at 4:30 p.m. on August 8, 2017. The Chief Electoral Officer granted extensions due to extraordinary circumstances to nine candidates. The following five candidates filed their reports by the late filing deadline at 4:30 p.m. on September 7, 2017 and paid a $500 late filing fee:

One candidate, Merv Ritchie, failed to file by the late filing deadline and subsequently is disqualified from being nominated, elected or holding office as a member of the Legislative Assembly until after the next general election, unless the outstanding financing report is filed and a late filing penalty of $10,000 is paid.

Financing report summaries

The following pages provide election financing summaries for political parties, constituency associations, candidates and election advertising sponsors. These summaries are of the financing reports as they were filed with Elections BC. Any amendments are published in the Financial Reports and Political Contributions system (FRPC) on Elections BC’s website, available at elections.bc.ca/frpc.

Registered political parties

Registered constituency associations

Candidates

Registered election advertising sponsors

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