Bill S-236 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-236 amends the Canada Elections Act to include pre-election advertising expenses within the three months prior to an election period under the definition of election expenses.
Bill S-236 proposes changes to the Canada Elections Act. It aims to include certain expenses made in the three months before an election period as election expenses. This would extend the limits on election expenses to cover pre-election advertising costs.
- It expands the definition of election expenses to include costs for promoting or opposing a registered party, its leader, or a candidate during the three months before an election period.
- It clarifies how these pre-election expenses are treated concerning expense limits for registered parties and candidates.
- It excludes pre-election expenses from certain sections of the Act that deal with the reporting of election expenses for registered parties and candidates.
- Registered parties
- Electoral district associations
- Candidates
- Voters (indirectly, through campaign finance regulations)
- Registered parties and candidates will have their pre-election advertising expenses counted towards their overall election expense limits.
- Electoral district associations' pre-election expenses will be treated as candidate expenses for specific reporting requirements.
- Special rules apply when election periods are close together to avoid expenses being counted for multiple elections.
- The amendments apply to costs incurred or non-monetary contributions received on or after the day the bill receives royal assent.
- These amendments apply to elections for which the writ is issued within six months after the bill receives royal assent, even if section 554 of the Canada Elections Act would otherwise apply.
- Expenses for advertising that promotes or opposes a registered party, its leader, or a candidate in the three months before an election period will count towards election expense limits.
- The bill does not specify the exact amounts for the limits on election expenses, but rather states that the pre-election expenses will be subject to existing limits.
- The bill does not provide details on how 'directly promote or oppose' will be interpreted in practice.
- The bill does not explicitly state what happens if the pre-election expenses of a candidate or party are paid or received before the bill receives royal assent but after the three-month pre-election period.
Amends section 370 to deem eligible parties registered from the beginning of the three-month period before an election period for the purposes of subsection 407(1.1).
Source: Section 1
Amends section 407 to define election expenses as including costs or non-monetary contributions used to promote or oppose a registered party, its leader, or a candidate during the three months before an election period. It also clarifies that this definition does not apply to by-elections, has special rules for candidate expenses before an official agent is appointed, and deems electoral district association expenses as candidate expenses for certain reporting purposes. It further specifies rules for when election periods are close together and when pre-election expenses exceed maximum limits.
Source: Section 2
Amends section 435 to exclude pre-election expenses (as defined under subsection 407(1.1)) from a registered party's election expenses for the purposes of that section.
Source: Section 3
Adds section 465.1 to exclude pre-election expenses (as defined under subsection 407(1.1) and 407(1.4)) from a candidate's election expenses for the purposes of sections 464 and 465.
Source: Section 4
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
Bill S-236, concerning amendments to the Canada Elections Act regarding election expenses, successfully completed its First Reading and moved to Second Reading in the Senate.
This artifact describes the procedural steps for Bill S-236 in the Senate. The bill, titled "An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses)", completed its First Reading on May 26, 2009. It then proceeded to Second Reading on May 28, 2009. Major speeches related to the Second Reading occurred on October 27, 2009, and December 14, 2009. The artifact notes that as of the reporting date, the bill was at the Second Reading stage in the Senate.
On May 26, 2009, Bill S-236 received first reading in the Senate, marking its formal introduction into the legislative process.
On May 26, 2009, the Senate of Canada conducted its first reading of Bill S-236, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses. This procedural step involved the introduction of the bill. The rest of the sitting was dedicated to paying tribute to the late Senator Orville Howard Phillips, tabling various reports, Question Period, and continuing debate on other bills and inquiries.
Bill S-236, concerning election expenses, was undergoing second reading debate in the Senate, with speeches delivered and the stage not yet completed.
This record shows that Bill S-236, concerning amendments to the Canada Elections Act regarding election expenses, was at the second reading stage in the Senate. The Senate began debate on this bill on Monday, December 14, 2009. The bill had its first reading on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, and its second reading began on Thursday, May 28, 2009. Major speeches related to the second reading occurred on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and Monday, December 14, 2009. The initial speeches at the second reading on May 28, 2009, were from Senator Dennis Dawson (Liberal) and Senator Consiglio Di Nino (Conservative). The stage was not completed as of the date of this record.
During a Senate sitting on May 28, 2009, Bill S-236, aimed at broadening the definition of election expenses to include pre-election advertising, was debated at second reading, with senators discussing the principle of limiting the influence of money in politics before the debate was adjourned.
On May 28, 2009, the Senate proceeded with the debate on Bill S-236, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses. Senator Dennis Dawson introduced the bill, emphasizing the principle that election outcomes should be based on ideas, not party finances, and that spending limits are crucial to prevent the wealthy from dominating political discourse. He argued that the bill, which broadens the definition of 'election expenses' to include advertising in the three months before an election, is a necessary complement to previous accountability and fixed election date legislation. The debate included questions and comments from Senators Irving Gerstein, Michael A. Meighen, Nicole Eaton, Hugh Segal, Percy E. Downe, and Consiglio Di Nino, touching on campaign finance, freedom of expression, and the effectiveness of political advertising. The debate on Bill S-236 was adjourned.
During the second reading debate in the Senate, the sponsor of Bill S-236 argued that broadening the definition of election expenses to include pre-writ advertising would prevent parties from circumventing spending limits and promote a fairer election.
The Senate was considering Bill S-236, which aims to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses. The sponsor of the bill, Senator Dennis Dawson, spoke in favour of it during the second reading debate. He explained that the bill is short and intends to broaden the definition of 'election expenses' to include advertising costs incurred in the three months leading up to an election period. The goal is to ensure that political parties cannot circumvent spending limits by running advertising campaigns before the official election period begins, thereby promoting a fairer election process where ideas, not just money, determine outcomes. Senator Dawson noted that while the bill doesn't set spending limits for this pre-election period, these expenses must now be declared and will be counted towards overall campaign spending limits. The debate was adjourned to allow for further discussion.
On October 27, 2009, the Senate continued debate on several bills, including Bill S-236, and adjourned further discussion on that bill to a later date.
On October 27, 2009, the Senate was in session. The sitting included Senators' Statements, tabling of committee reports, and oral questions on various topics including the H1N1 vaccine, the treatment of detainees in Afghanistan, and climate change. The Senate also continued debates on several bills. Specifically for Bill S-236, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses, the debate was adjourned to allow Senator Gerstein to prepare his notes. The sitting concluded with the Senate adjourning until the next day.
During a Senate sitting on December 14, 2009, the second reading debate on Bill S-236, concerning amendments to the Canada Elections Act regarding election expenses, was continued and then adjourned.
This record details a Senate sitting on December 14, 2009. While the sitting included various proceedings such as Senators' Statements, Routine Proceedings, Question Period, and Orders of the Day, the specific bill, Bill S-236 (An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act), was only mentioned under 'Orders of the Day' as continuing its second reading debate. The provided text does not contain the debate for Bill S-236 itself; instead, it lists other legislative items and debates that occurred during the sitting. The debate on Bill S-236 was adjourned.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced