Political parties spending $20 Million each Unions ... much, much more
https://twitter.com/BillTufts/status/605344949392035840
It promises to be one of the longest and dirtiest campaigns in Canadian federal political history and it could be the “mother” of all elections, unlike any seen before, say political insiders.
A number of factors are contributing to this election campaign’s singularity: a record-breaking amount of money likely to be spent; 294 of 338 ridings will be affected by the riding boundary changes; changes to the Canada Elections Act; Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to participate in the consortium-sponsored televised debates; the permanent campaign era triggered by the fixed date election law; 43 incumbent MPs not seeking re-election; three and four-way vote splits in ridings across the country; and the outcome truly up in the air.
“Nobody can say what’s going to happen,” former federal Progressive Conservative MP Patrick Boyer and author of an upcoming new book The Big Blue Machine: How Tory Campaign Backrooms Changed Canadian Politics Forever.
“There’s so much in play that it’s like the opening game of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nobody can really say who is going to win the cup. It’s wide open.”
Mr. Boyer—who has studied numerous past federal and provincial elections to write about ‘The Big Blue Machine’ developed by veteran Progressive Conservative stalwarts such as late-Dalton Camp and late Sen. Norman Atkins—said that a number of new dynamics promise to shake up the electoral landscape, including the 30 new federal ridings, volatile polling numbers, an intense focus on the foreign affairs and security related issues, the softening of the economy, the NDP’s stunning win in Alberta and Sen. Mike Duffy’s criminal trial.
“It’s going to be different in every respect. Nobody today has a playbook, or a prognosis that fits what’s going to happen,” said Mr. Boyer, a constitutional lawyer and author of 20 books on Canadian government and politics and whose new book is going to come out in September.
The election campaign has not officially commenced but, unofficially, with the fixed election date being followed for the first time in Canadian history, it’s been ongoing for months.
Last week, the three main national political parties and outside groups raised the political temperature to a new level by engaging in the air war by running political online and TV ads to take advantage of the pre-writ no-spending limit.
Elections Canada does not track spending by political parties or outside groups, such as unions, interest groups and business lobbies prior to the start of the election campaign. Legal spending limits kick in when the writ is dropped.
The advertising by political parties and third parties is expected to be the single highest expense of the October election campaign.
In the last election, the spending limit was around $21-million and for the next election, the spending limit will be announced by Elections Canada once the campaign officially starts. One key factor in determining the spending limit will be the duration of the campaign.
For outside groups, the advertising spending cap for the next election is $4,116 per riding, or $203,800 for a national campaign. Elections Canada requires third parties to register if they spend $500 or more during the writ period.
According to Elections Canada, in the last election, the New Democratic Party spent $20,319,567, the Liberal Party $19,483, 917, the Conservative Party $19,457,420, and the Green Party spent $1,924,478.
more $$$
https://www.hilltimes.com/news/news...tion-mother-of-all-elections/42368?mcl=&muid=
https://twitter.com/BillTufts/status/605344949392035840
It promises to be one of the longest and dirtiest campaigns in Canadian federal political history and it could be the “mother” of all elections, unlike any seen before, say political insiders.
A number of factors are contributing to this election campaign’s singularity: a record-breaking amount of money likely to be spent; 294 of 338 ridings will be affected by the riding boundary changes; changes to the Canada Elections Act; Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to participate in the consortium-sponsored televised debates; the permanent campaign era triggered by the fixed date election law; 43 incumbent MPs not seeking re-election; three and four-way vote splits in ridings across the country; and the outcome truly up in the air.
“Nobody can say what’s going to happen,” former federal Progressive Conservative MP Patrick Boyer and author of an upcoming new book The Big Blue Machine: How Tory Campaign Backrooms Changed Canadian Politics Forever.
“There’s so much in play that it’s like the opening game of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nobody can really say who is going to win the cup. It’s wide open.”
Mr. Boyer—who has studied numerous past federal and provincial elections to write about ‘The Big Blue Machine’ developed by veteran Progressive Conservative stalwarts such as late-Dalton Camp and late Sen. Norman Atkins—said that a number of new dynamics promise to shake up the electoral landscape, including the 30 new federal ridings, volatile polling numbers, an intense focus on the foreign affairs and security related issues, the softening of the economy, the NDP’s stunning win in Alberta and Sen. Mike Duffy’s criminal trial.
“It’s going to be different in every respect. Nobody today has a playbook, or a prognosis that fits what’s going to happen,” said Mr. Boyer, a constitutional lawyer and author of 20 books on Canadian government and politics and whose new book is going to come out in September.
The election campaign has not officially commenced but, unofficially, with the fixed election date being followed for the first time in Canadian history, it’s been ongoing for months.
Last week, the three main national political parties and outside groups raised the political temperature to a new level by engaging in the air war by running political online and TV ads to take advantage of the pre-writ no-spending limit.
Elections Canada does not track spending by political parties or outside groups, such as unions, interest groups and business lobbies prior to the start of the election campaign. Legal spending limits kick in when the writ is dropped.
The advertising by political parties and third parties is expected to be the single highest expense of the October election campaign.
In the last election, the spending limit was around $21-million and for the next election, the spending limit will be announced by Elections Canada once the campaign officially starts. One key factor in determining the spending limit will be the duration of the campaign.
For outside groups, the advertising spending cap for the next election is $4,116 per riding, or $203,800 for a national campaign. Elections Canada requires third parties to register if they spend $500 or more during the writ period.
According to Elections Canada, in the last election, the New Democratic Party spent $20,319,567, the Liberal Party $19,483, 917, the Conservative Party $19,457,420, and the Green Party spent $1,924,478.
more $$$
https://www.hilltimes.com/news/news...tion-mother-of-all-elections/42368?mcl=&muid=
