Bill 124 explained in plain English
Election Amendment Act (MPPs' Recall), 2013
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill creates a process to recall a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario, allowing for a by-election if a recall petition is successful.
Bill 124, the Election Amendment Act (MPPs' Recall), 2013, establishes a process for recalling a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario. It allows eligible voters in an MPP's electoral district to initiate a recall petition. If the petition gathers enough signatures and meets specific requirements, the MPP's seat becomes vacant, triggering a by-election. The bill also introduces rules for campaign financing related to recall petitions.
- Amends the Election Act to create a new Part III concerning the recall of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MPPs).
- Establishes a process for an eligible voter to apply for a recall petition.
- Specifies conditions under which a recall petition can be applied for, including time limitations.
- Outlines the requirements for a recall petition to be valid, such as the number of signatures and the timeframe for submission.
- Defines the roles and responsibilities of a 'proponent' of a recall petition.
- Establishes rules for 'registered canvassers' who collect signatures for recall petitions.
- Details the process for the Chief Electoral Officer to determine the validity of a recall petition.
- States that if a recall petition is valid, the MPP's seat becomes vacant on the day the determination is published.
- Triggers a by-election to fill a seat vacated due to a successful recall.
- Makes the recalled MPP eligible to run in the by-election.
- Applies provisions of the Election Finances Act to organizations and individuals involved in recall campaigns, including rules on campaign advertising, contributions, and expenses.
- Prohibits recall campaign contributions from being eligible for political contribution tax credits.
- Sets limits on recall campaign contributions.
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (MPPs).
- Eligible voters in Ontario electoral districts.
- The Chief Electoral Officer and their staff.
- Individuals or bodies acting as 'proponents' or 'registered canvassers' for recall petitions.
- Organizations or individuals involved in recall campaigns, including 'registered campaign organizers'.
- An eligible voter has the right to apply to the Chief Electoral Officer for a recall petition.
- A proponent of a recall petition has 60 days to collect signatures and return the petition.
- Registered canvassers must not solicit or accept payment for collecting signatures and must not make false statements.
- Registered campaign organizers must register with the Chief Electoral Officer and comply with campaign finance rules.
- MPPs can be recalled if a recall petition meets the specified requirements.
- Recalled MPPs are eligible to run in the subsequent by-election.
- Applications for a recall petition cannot be made during the 12 months following an MPP's election or within 12 months before the next scheduled general election.
- A recall petition must be returned to the Chief Electoral Officer within 60 days of its issuance.
- The Chief Electoral Officer has 30 days to determine the validity of a recall petition after receiving it.
- The bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- Recall campaign contributions are not eligible for political contribution tax credits.
- There is a limit of $7,500 (adjusted by an indexation factor) per recall petition period that a person or body can contribute to a group of registered campaign organizers promoting the same result on a petition.
- Individuals or bodies spending over $1,000 on a recall campaign may need to register as campaign organizers.
- Applications for recall petitions and for registration as campaign organizers may require processing or application fees as specified by regulations.
- The bill does not explicitly detail penalties for contravening its provisions.
- Failure to comply with requirements related to recall petitions, canvassing, or campaign financing, as outlined by the Election Act and applied Election Finances Act, could lead to consequences not fully specified in this text.
- The specific processing fees and information required for applications are to be determined by regulations.
- The exact qualifications for registration as a campaign organizer will be specified by regulations.
- Penalties for contravening the provisions of the recall process are not detailed in the provided text.
- The text does not specify what happens if the Chief Electoral Officer fails to make a determination within the 30-day period.
Adds a new Part III to establish the process for recalling Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Source: Section 3
Adds a heading for 'PART I DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION' before section 1.
Source: Section 1
Adds a heading for 'PART II CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS' after section 2.
Source: Section 2
Key sections of this Act are applied to registered campaign organizers, recall campaign contributions, and recall campaign advertising, with specific modifications for recall petitions.
Source: Section 125
Clarifies that recall campaign contributions are not eligible for political contribution tax credits.
Source: Section 128 (2)
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.
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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