Leadership Contestants
Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act impacts all provincial electoral legislation. This page is being updated to reflect the new legislation, and as such the information below may be outdated.
A leadership contestant is a person seeking to be voted as the leader of a registered party. A leadership contest is the party’s process to select a new leader.
Parties must inform Elections Alberta before holding a leadership vote and must report the results of the leadership contest. Individuals seeking to become a party’s leader must register with Elections Alberta.
This section provides resources and links for registered parties and leadership contestants, including information on registration and the financial rules that apply to leadership contestants and their chief financial officers.
Registered Leadership Contestants
Republican Party of Alberta
| Leadership Contestant | Intention Announced Date | Submission Date | Acceptance Date | Effective Date of Withdrawal | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Davies | April 11, 2025 | April 21, 2025 | April 23, 2025 | jennywalker2023@gmail.com |
Contributions
Through their chief financial officer, a registered leadership contestant can accept contributions only during the leadership contestant’s campaign period. The campaign period starts on the leadership contestant’s effective registration date and ends two months after the date of the leadership vote held by the party.
Contributions can only be accepted from the following persons or entities:
- Persons ordinarily resident in Alberta,
- Corporations carrying on business in Alberta and are not prohibited corporations, and
- Alberta trade unions or employee organizations.
Contributions are any money or in-kind donations of real property, goods, or services.
The maximum contribution a leadership contestant’s chief financial officer can accept from an eligible contributor is $5,000 during the campaign period, less any other contributions the contributor may make in the same year to other registered leadership contestants. The limit also applies to a leadership contestant’s self-funding of their campaign expenses.
The leadership contestant’s chief financial officer is responsible for reporting contributions to Elections Alberta and issuing official contribution receipts to contributors. Contributors can claim non-refundable personal income tax credits on their tax return for their contributions to registered leadership contestants.
Get more information on contributions.
Fundraising Functions
A registered leadership contestant or any person acting on the leadership contestant’s behalf can hold events and activities to raise funds during the leadership contestant’s campaign period only.
Examples of fundraising events include luncheons, meet & greet events, rallies, golf tournaments, and auctions. Contribution rules limit who can pay to attend events or who can donate/bid for auctions.
All fundraising revenues and expenses must be reported on the leadership contestant’s campaign return.
Get more information on fundraising functions.
Expenses
There is no limit on the amount a registered leadership contestant can spend on their campaign. As with contributions, spending is limited to the leadership contestant’s campaign period. The campaign period starts on the leadership contestant’s effective registration date and ends two months after the date of the leadership vote held by the party.
Get more information on expenses.
Filing Deadlines
Through their chief financial officer, registered leadership contestants must disclose the details of their financial activities to Elections Alberta by submitting campaign period financial statements due within four months after the leadership vote. The reports are required regardless of the level of financial activity or the leadership contestant’s withdrawal.
In addition, independently audited financial statements are required to be filed if a leadership contestant’s campaign expenses exceed $25,000.
An automatic late filing fee of $500 applies for missing a filing deadline.
Get more information on filing deadlines.
Financial Reporting and Online Financial System
The Financial Reporting website has registration and financial information for leadership contestants.
The chief financial officers for registered leadership contestants are granted access to Elections Alberta’s secure Online Financial System (OFS) to report contributions, issue official contribution receipts to contributors, and submit the leadership contestant’s campaign return.
Contact finance@elections.ab.ca with any questions.