QUÉBEC CITY, Sept. 17, 2025 /CNW/ - Starting on Friday, the Chief Electoral Officer will apply the rules set out in the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities to control election expenses in municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more.
This control will be carried out throughout the election period, which will end on November 2, upon the closing of the polling stations. This has a clear objective: to prevent the power of money from upsetting the balance of opportunities for candidates promoting their candidacy. In the interests of financial fairness, the Act stipulates that the election expenses of candidates running for the same seat in a municipality be limited to the same amount. This fairness would be compromised if other players were able to inject money to influence the vote. This is why the Act specifies that only parties and authorized independent candidates can incur election expenses.
As such, a group of citizens cannot design pamphlets or create a website to fight against a measure advocated by a party. Similarly, a company cannot run advertisements disapproving of an act done by a candidate.
In fact, any goods or services that have a cost or a value on the market that are used during the election and that have a partisan effect must be paid for exclusively from the election fund of the political parties or candidates, with the approval of their official agents. This control applies not only to expenses incurred to promote or oppose the election of a candidate, but also to expenses incurred to propagate or oppose the program or policies of a candidate or party, as well as expenses used to approve or disapprove of an act done by the candidate, the party or their supporters.
That said, the population, groups and companies can express their views if their interventions do not incur expenses. The Chief Electoral Officer may grant, under certain conditions, authorization to electors or groups of electors who want to spend up to $300 on advertising.
The control of election expenses applies in the 214 municipalities with populations of 5,000 or more, as well as in the 21 regional county municipalities (RCMs) that elect their warden by universal suffrage. To date, 166 political parties are authorized in these municipalities, and nearly 679 electors hold an authorization because they intend to run as an independent candidate.
What about the rules for municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants?
In the 912 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, candidates' expenses must not exceed the total amount of gifts collected during their campaign.
There are no political parties in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, but candidates can form tickets recognized by the returning officer and incur joint expenses.
Audit of election expenses
In all municipalities, election expenses are first audited on a declaratory basis, in the same way as personal income tax returns. As a result, all candidates' election expenses must be collated in returns to be submitted to the municipal treasuries no later than February 2, 2026.
Municipalities will audit the return of election expenses, according to a program developed by the Chief Electoral Officer. The latter will then review the audit that was conducted.
After the last general elections in 2021, 2,250 returns of election expenses were reviewed or audited.
During the election period, the Chief Electoral Officer could also intervene to inform the players of the rules and invite them to respect these, whether after receiving a complaint or on the Officer's own initiative. If needed, the Chief Electoral Officer can investigate and prosecute electoral legislation offences.
About Élections Québec
Élections Québec is a non-partisan and independent institution striving to ensure the integrity, transparency, and reliability of elections and to contribute to the vitality of the Québec democracy.
In addition to ensuring the smooth operation of provincial elections, Élections Québec supports municipalities in organizing their elections and ensures the application of the rules on political financing. The institution also acts as a public prosecutor to ensure compliance with Québec electoral legislation.
SOURCE Élections Québec
Source: Media Relations Department, Élections Québec, 418-644-3320 or 1-888-870-3320, [email protected]
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