Longer federal election campaign would cost taxpayers millions more
Parties reimbursed for election expenses - which could go up significantly during a long campaign
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.
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.
Longer federal election campaign would cost taxpayers millions more - Politics - CBC News
Canada's governing Conservatives are likely to lengthen this year's election campaign by launching it in August, three senior party sources said, a move that would benefit the cash-rich party.
Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 19. Given that campaigns must last at least 37 days, the latest date Prime Minister Stephen Harper could start this year's would be Sept. 13. Five of the last six campaigns have run about that length.
But the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Harper's party already has its machinery in place and is expected to launch the campaign in August, possibly the first week. This would benefit the Conservatives, who last year changed a law that had imposed a maximum spending limit of around C$25 million ($19 million) on campaigns.
The new law increased the limit by about C$700,000 for every day beyond the minimum 37-day length.
The Conservatives have a larger donor base than their rivals and raised C$6.3 million in the first quarter, more than the two main opposition parties combined.
"A long campaign financially exhausts the other parties," said one person familiar with Conservative strategy.
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Canada Conservatives likely to lengthen election campaign: sources | Canada | Reuters
