Senate Candidates

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 This page is being updated to reflect the new legislation, and as such the information below may be outdated.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 senate candidate is a person seeking to be elected as a senate nominee and have their name forwarded to the King’s Privy Council for Canada for consideration when filling vacancies in the Senate. A senate candidate can be endorsed by a registered provincial party, and/or aligned with a registered federal political party, or an independent.

This section provides resources and links for registered senate candidates, including information on how to register and the financial rules that apply to senate candidates and their chief financial officers.

A senate candidate must be qualified under section 23 of the Constitution Act (1867) and ordinarily resident in Alberta for the 6 months preceding Senate Election Day. Learn more information about the registration and nomination process.

Contributions

Through their chief financial officer, a registered senate candidate can accept contributions only during the campaign period for a senate election, ending two months after Senate Election Day.

Contributions can only be accepted from the following persons or entity:

• persons ordinarily resident in Alberta,
• corporations carrying on business in Alberta and are not prohibited corporations, and
• Alberta trade unions and employee organizations.

Contributions are any money or in-kind donations of real property, goods, or services.

The maximum contribution a senate candidate’s chief financial officer can accept from an eligible contributor is $5,000 during the senate candidate’s campaign period, less any other contributions the contributor may make in the same year to other registered senate candidates. The limit also applies to a senate candidate’s self-funding of campaign expenses.

The senate candidate’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 senate candidates.

Get more information on contributions.

Fundraising Functions

A registered senate candidate or any person acting on the candidate’s behalf can hold events and activities to raise funds during the senate candidate’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 and who can donate/bid for auctions.

All fundraising revenues and expenses must be reported on the senate candidate’s campaign return.

Get more information on fundraising functions.

Expense Limits

A registered senate candidate can spend funds or accept non-monetary contributions during the candidate’s campaign period only.

Registered senate candidates are subject to spending limits for election expenses. Election expenses are any real property, goods, or services used, distributed or consumed during a senate election period, for the registered candidate’s promotion or opposing others. The senate election period begins on the day a Writ of Election is issued and extends to the end of voting on Senate Election Day.

The expenses below are exempt from the expense limit:

• Candidate’s travel expenses related to the election including meals and accommodation,
• Candidate’s childcare expenses,
• Candidate’s care for a person with a physical or mental incapacity for who the candidate normally provides such care,
• For a candidate who has a disability, additional expenses related to the disability,
• Audit and financial fees necessary for the candidate’s campaign compliance with the EFCDA, and
• Reasonable incidental expenses incurred by or on behalf of volunteers.

Get more information on expenses.

Filing Deadlines

Through their chief financial officer, registered senate candidates must disclose the details of their financial activities to Elections Alberta by submitting campaign financial statements due within four months after Senate Election Day. The reports are required regardless of the level of financial activity or the candidate’s withdrawal.

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 Senate candidates.

The chief financial officers for registered senate candidates are granted access to Elections Alberta’s secure Online Financial System (OFS) to report contributions, issue official contribution receipts to contributors, and submit the candidate’s campaign financial return.

Contact finance@elections.ab.ca with any questions.