Bill S-227 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, 3rd 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
This bill amends the Canada Elections Act to include pre-election advertising expenses within the definition of election expenses and to adjust related spending limits.
Bill S-227, titled 'An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses)', proposes to expand the definition of election expenses to include certain advertising costs incurred in the three months before an election period. It also makes adjustments to how these expenses are counted towards spending limits for registered parties, electoral district associations, and candidates. The bill specifies how these new rules apply to by-elections and situations where elections occur close together.
- Amends the Canada Elections Act to include certain pre-election advertising expenses as election expenses.
- Clarifies how these pre-election expenses are treated for registered parties, electoral district associations, and candidates.
- Specifies that these new rules do not apply to by-elections.
- Provides rules for when elections occur within a short period of each other.
- Adjusts definitions related to incurred costs.
- Registered parties
- Electoral district associations
- Candidates
- Eligible parties
- Chief Electoral Officer (implied through administration of the Act)
- Election expenses now include specific pre-election advertising costs.
- Limits on election expenses are adjusted to account for pre-election advertising.
- A special rule applies if two or more elections occur within three months of each other.
- The amendments apply to costs incurred or contributions received on or after the day the Act receives royal assent.
- The amendments do not apply to costs incurred or contributions received before the day the Act receives royal assent.
- The rules for costs and contributions apply to elections where the writ is issued within six months after the Act receives royal assent, even if the costs were incurred before royal assent.
- The bill impacts spending limits for registered parties and candidates by including certain pre-election advertising expenses within the definition of election expenses.
- The bill does not specify the exact penalties for exceeding these new or adjusted spending limits, but the Canada Elections Act generally includes provisions for penalties related to exceeding election expense limits.
- The bill does not explicitly state the effective date for all provisions, relying on 'royal assent' for the general application of amendments.
Changes the definition of election expenses to include costs for advertising used to directly promote or oppose a registered party, its leader, or a candidate during the three months before an election period. It also modifies rules for when expenses are considered incurred, how they apply to electoral district associations, and sets specific limits.
Source: Section 407
Introduces a rule that for eligible parties, if they become registered within three months before an election period, they are considered registered from the start of that three-month period for the purposes of subsection 407(1.1).
Source: Section 370
Specifies that for the purpose of calculating a registered party's election expenses under this section, any expenses that would otherwise be included under subsection 407(1.1) are excluded.
Source: Section 435
States that for the purposes of sections 464 and 465, a candidate's election expenses will not include expenses that would otherwise be included under subsection 407(1.1), including those deemed to be included under subsection 407(1.4).
Source: Section 465.1
Modifies the definition of 'cost incurred' to mean an expense that is incurred, whether it has been paid or remains unpaid.
Source: Section 407(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-227, concerning election expenses, completed its First Reading in the Senate on February 2, 2011, and subsequently moved to Second Reading, where related debates occurred in late March 2011.
This record shows the procedural steps for Bill S-227 in the Senate. It was introduced at First Reading on February 2, 2011. Later, it proceeded to Second Reading, with speeches from Senator Dennis Dawson and Senator Irving Gerstein taking place on March 23 and 24, 2011, respectively. The bill is currently at the Second Reading stage in the Senate.
Bill S-227, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses), was introduced and received its first reading in the Senate on February 2, 2011, and was scheduled for second reading.
On February 2, 2011, the Senate of Canada held its first reading of Bill S-227, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses. This process involved the formal introduction of the bill in the Senate, after which it was placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading. Prior to this procedural step, the Senate engaged in various other activities including Senators' Statements, Routine Proceedings, Question Period, and the continuation of debates on other matters before the Senate. The record indicates that Bill S-227 was presented by Senator Dennis Dawson and received its first reading, with the subsequent motion to schedule it for second reading two days later. The debate and discussion surrounding Bill S-227 itself are not detailed in this specific artifact, as this record pertains only to its introduction and first reading.
Bill S-227, concerning election expenses, was undergoing debate at its second reading in the Senate as of March 24, 2011.
This artifact describes the progress of Bill S-227, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act concerning election expenses, at the second reading stage in the Senate. The Senate began debating the bill on March 23, 2011, with a speech by Senator Dennis Dawson. Further debate occurred on March 24, 2011, with a response speech by Senator Irving Gerstein. The stage was not completed as of March 24, 2011.
On March 23, 2011, the Senate sat for routine proceedings, question period, and debated various bills and inquiries, including adjourning debate on Bill S-227 (election expenses) and passing Bill C-59.
The Senate sat on March 23, 2011. The sitting included statements by senators on various topics, tabling of documents, question period regarding the budget and other matters, and debate on several bills and inquiries. Notably, Bill S-227, concerning election expenses, was adjourned for debate. Other proceedings included the adoption of committee reports, a motion to photograph Royal Assent, and the debate and passage of Bill C-59. The sitting also included a Royal Assent ceremony.
In the Senate, the sponsor of Bill S-227, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses), began the second reading debate by explaining the bill's intent to reduce the impact of money in politics and address loopholes in election financing laws.
On March 23, 2011, the Senate began the second reading debate for Bill S-227, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (election expenses). Senator Dennis Dawson, the sponsor of the bill, delivered a speech explaining its purpose and the principles behind it. He stated that the bill aims to reduce the influence of money in politics, ensure a level playing field for all parties, and prevent the abuse of legislative loopholes, particularly concerning advertising during election campaigns. He also discussed the concept of a 'permanent campaign' and the use of government resources for partisan purposes. The debate was adjourned after his speech.
On March 24, 2011, the Senate debated Bill S-227 at second reading, heard committee reports, engaged in question period, and granted Royal Assent to Bill C-55.
This is a record of a Senate sitting on March 24, 2011. The sitting included statements by Senators, routine proceedings, question period, and orders of the day where various bills were discussed or advanced. Bill S-227, concerning amendments to the Canada Elections Act related to election expenses, was debated at second reading. Senators also discussed other matters such as tributes, committee reports, and other bills before the Senate. The sitting concluded with Royal Assent being granted to Bill C-55.
During the Senate's second reading debate on Bill S-227, Senator Irving Gerstein argued that the proposed changes to election expenses would harm democratic expression by restricting fundraising and disproportionately benefiting the Liberal Party.
The Senate was in session on March 24, 2011. The artifact provided is a transcript of the Senate debates, which includes various proceedings and discussions. The specific artifact related to Bill S-227 is the continuation of the debate at second reading. Senator Irving Gerstein spoke about the bill, focusing on its implications for political party fundraising. He argued that the bill would negatively impact parties that rely on small donations and would benefit the Liberal Party. He also discussed the history of election financing in Canada, including the per-vote subsidy and changes introduced by Bill C-24. Senator Gerstein concluded by stating that the bill is an affront to democracy and should be rejected.
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