

Currently released so far... 12478 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AU
ASEC
AE
AF
AORC
AEMR
AMGT
ABUD
AFFAIRS
APER
AS
AMED
AY
AG
AR
AJ
AL
AID
AM
AODE
ABLD
AMG
AFIN
ATRN
AGAO
AFU
AN
AA
ALOW
APECO
ADM
ARF
ASEAN
APEC
AMBASSADOR
AO
ASUP
AZ
AADP
ACOA
ANET
AMCHAMS
ACABQ
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APCS
AGMT
AINF
AIT
AORL
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ACBAQ
AFGHANISTAN
ADANA
ADPM
AX
ADCO
AECL
AMEX
ACAO
ASCH
AORG
AGR
AROC
ASIG
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
BL
BR
BO
BA
BD
BM
BK
BG
BU
BB
BH
BTIO
BY
BEXP
BP
BE
BRUSSELS
BF
BIDEN
BT
BX
BC
BILAT
BN
BBSR
BTIU
BWC
BMGT
CA
CASC
CVIS
CM
CH
CO
CU
CD
CWC
CI
CS
CY
CMGT
CF
CG
CR
CB
CV
CW
CE
CBW
CT
CPAS
COUNTERTERRORISM
CJAN
CODEL
CIDA
CDG
CDC
CIA
CTR
CNARC
CSW
CN
CONS
CLINTON
COE
CROS
CARICOM
CONDOLEEZZA
COUNTER
CL
COM
CICTE
CIS
CFED
COUNTRY
CJUS
CBSA
CEUDA
CLMT
CAC
COPUOS
CIC
CBE
CHR
CTM
CVR
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CACS
CAN
CITT
CARSON
CACM
CDB
CAPC
CKGR
CBC
EC
EG
EPET
ECON
ETRD
EFIN
EIND
EMIN
ENRG
EAID
EAGR
EUN
ETTC
EAIR
ENIV
ES
EU
EINV
ELAB
ECIN
EFIS
ELTN
EWWT
ECPS
ECONOMIC
ENGR
EN
EINT
EPA
ELN
ESA
EZ
ER
ET
EFTA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
EXTERNAL
EI
EUR
EK
ERNG
ENGY
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENERG
EINVEFIN
ENVR
ECA
ELECTIONS
ETC
EUREM
ENNP
EFINECONCS
EURN
ECINECONCS
EEPET
EXIM
ERD
ENVI
ETRC
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ETRO
EDU
ETRN
EAIG
ECONCS
ECONOMICS
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
EIAR
EXBS
ECUN
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ESENV
ECONEFIN
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINVETC
IZ
IT
IR
IS
IN
IC
IAEA
IO
ICAO
IWC
ID
IV
ISRAEL
IAHRC
IQ
ICTR
IMF
IRS
IDP
IGAD
ICRC
ICTY
IMO
IL
INRA
INRO
ICJ
ITU
IBRD
INMARSAT
IIP
ITALY
IEFIN
IACI
ILO
INTELSAT
ILC
ITRA
IDA
INRB
IRC
INTERPOL
IA
IPR
IRAQI
ISRAELI
INTERNAL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
IBET
INR
IEA
IZPREL
IRAJ
ITF
IF
KDEM
KU
KPAL
KNNP
KCRM
KZ
KN
KS
KJUS
KTFN
KSCA
KV
KISL
KPAO
KPKO
KIRF
KTIA
KIPR
KFLO
KFRD
KTIP
KAWC
KSUM
KCOM
KAID
KE
KTDB
KMDR
KOMC
KWBG
KDRG
KVPR
KTEX
KGIC
KWMN
KSCI
KCOR
KACT
KDDG
KHLS
KSAF
KFLU
KSEO
KMRS
KSPR
KOLY
KSEP
KVIR
KGHG
KIRC
KUNR
KIFR
KCIP
KMCA
KMPI
KBCT
KHSA
KICC
KIDE
KCRS
KMFO
KRVC
KRGY
KR
KAWK
KG
KFIN
KHIV
KBIO
KOCI
KBTR
KNEI
KPOA
KCFE
KPLS
KSTC
KHDP
KPRP
KCRCM
KLIG
KCFC
KTER
KREC
KTBT
KPRV
KSTH
KRIM
KRAD
KWAC
KWMM
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMS
KX
KMIG
KRCM
KVRP
KBTS
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNAR
KPWR
KNPP
KDEMAF
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KGIT
KPAI
KTLA
KFSC
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KID
KOM
KMOC
KJUST
KGCC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KO
KNSD
KHUM
KSEC
KCMR
KCHG
KICA
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KCGC
KWWMN
KPAK
KWNM
KWMNCS
KRFD
MOPS
MCAP
MPOS
MARR
MO
MNUC
MX
MASS
MG
MY
MU
ML
MR
MILITARY
MTCRE
MT
MEPP
MA
MDC
MP
MAR
MASSMNUC
MARAD
MAPP
MZ
MD
MI
MEETINGS
MK
MCC
MEPN
MRCRE
MAS
MIL
MASC
MC
MV
MTCR
MIK
MUCN
MEDIA
MERCOSUR
MW
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTRE
MEPI
MQADHAFI
MAPS
NO
NATO
NL
NP
NZ
NSF
NI
NH
NG
NAFTA
NU
NASA
NR
NATOPREL
NSSP
NSG
NA
NT
NW
NK
NPT
NPA
NATIONAL
NPG
NSFO
NS
NSC
NE
NGO
NDP
NIPP
NRR
NEW
NZUS
NC
NAR
NV
NORAD
OTRA
OPCW
OVIP
OAS
OREP
OPIC
OIIP
OPRC
ODIP
OEXC
OPDC
OSCE
OIC
OSCI
OECD
OFDP
OFDA
OMIG
OPAD
OFFICIALS
OVP
OIE
OHUM
OCS
OBSP
OTR
OSAC
ON
OCII
OES
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PTER
PINS
PINR
PREF
PK
PROP
PA
PARM
PBTS
PMAR
PM
PGIV
PE
PRAM
PHUH
PHSA
PL
PNAT
PO
PLN
PAO
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PF
PEL
PBIO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PAS
POL
PREO
PAHO
PMIL
POGOV
POV
PAK
PNR
PRL
PG
PREFA
PSI
PINL
PU
PARMS
PRGOV
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POSTS
PROG
PORG
PTBS
PUNE
POLICY
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PP
PS
PY
PTERE
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PRELP
PSEPC
PGOVE
PINF
PNG
PGOC
PFOR
PCUL
POLINT
PGGV
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PGOVLO
PHUS
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
RS
RU
RELATIONS
RW
RO
RM
RP
ROOD
RICE
RUPREL
RSO
RCMP
REACTION
REPORT
REGION
RIGHTS
RF
RFE
RSP
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
SU
SCUL
SNAR
SOCI
SF
SA
SHUM
SENV
SP
SR
SY
SANC
SC
SMIG
SZ
SARS
SW
SEVN
SO
SEN
SL
SNARCS
SNARN
SI
SG
SN
SH
SYR
SAARC
SPCE
SHI
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SYRIA
SWE
STEINBERG
SIPRS
ST
SNARIZ
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SIPDIS
SAN
TC
TI
TBIO
TH
TSPL
TRGY
TSPA
TPHY
TU
TW
TS
TAGS
TK
TX
TNGD
TZ
TF
TL
TV
TN
TD
TIP
TR
TP
TO
TT
TFIN
THPY
TERRORISM
TINT
TRSY
TURKEY
TBID
US
UK
UNGA
UP
UZ
UNMIK
USTR
UNO
UNSC
UN
UNESCO
UNAUS
UNHRC
UY
UG
UNHCR
UNCND
USOAS
USEU
UNICEF
UNEP
UV
UNPUOS
UNCSD
USUN
UNCHR
UNDC
USNC
UE
UNDP
UNC
USPS
USAID
UNVIE
UAE
UNFICYP
UNODC
UNCHS
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 08OTTAWA305, ELECTIONS IN CANADA: A "HOW TO" PRIMER
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08OTTAWA305.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
08OTTAWA305 | 2008-02-28 20:45 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Ottawa |
VZCZCXRO0217
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0305/01 0592045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 282045Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7416
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 000305
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM CA
SUBJECT: ELECTIONS IN CANADA: A "HOW TO" PRIMER
REF: A. Ottawa 257
- - B. Ottawa 221 and previous
¶1. (U) Summary: In Canada's parliamentary system, governments
must retain the "confidence" of the House of Commons to govern. The
Governor General may dissolve the House of Commons -- on the advice
of the prime minister - if a sitting government fails to win a
"confidence" measure. Minority governments, such as the current
one, are especially vulnerable to such defeats. During a federal
election, the Prime Minister and Cabinet remain in place, but the
Commons ceases to meet and all pending legislation dies. New
elections usually take place about 36 days after dissolution in all
"ridings," with the Governor General then calling upon the leader of
whichever party wins a majority, or the largest minority, to form a
new government. There are strict limits on campaign financing,
spending, and advertising. The current government under Prime
Minister Stephen Harper faces at least four upcoming confidence
measures by the end of March. If it survives them, it might remain
in office until October 19, 2009 under a 2007 law that established a
fixed date for elections on a four-year cycle. Canada's free and
fair elections set an outstanding model for the world; Elections
Canada has organized over 400 international democratic development
missions in 100 countries to share its expertise. End summary.
"DROPPING THE WRIT"
--------------------------------
¶2. (U) Canada inherited a parliamentary system from the United
Kingdom, in which the leader of the political party that wins a
majority of seats -- at least 155 out of 308 -- in the House of
Commons becomes the Prime Minister and forms a Cabinet. In the
event that there is no majority, the Governor General (representing
the Queen) asks the leader of the party that wins the largest number
of seats (even though still only a minority) to form a government.
(The ruling Conservatives currently have 126 seats, the Liberal
Party 94, the Bloc Qubcois 49, and the New Democratic Party 30.
There are four Independents and five vacancies.) The Governor
General dissolves Parliament on the advice of the prime minister
when a ruling government loses a vote of "confidence" in the House
of Commons, i.e., on significant fiscal bills, the Speech from the
Throne (the government's overall policy blueprint), and on any other
major bills or motions that the government may designate as
confidence measures, or at any other time the prime minister may
advise. Since passage of new legislation on elections in 2007, the
Governor General must also call for new elections on a fixed four
year cycle for the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar
year following the previous federal election. The first such
election will be on October 19, 2009 if the government of Prime
Minister Stephen Harper survives all upcoming confidence votes
(reftels).
¶3. (U) To call a new federal election, the Governor General signs
a Royal Proclamation ordering separate writs (orders) -- called
"dropping the writ" -- authorizing Elections Canada (a non-partisan,
independent agency that reports to Parliament) under the Canada
Elections Act to conduct elections in each of the 308 federal
"ridings," the Canadian equivalent of a U.S. Congressional district
or a constituency. The Governor General sets the date of the
election and the date when Parliament will reconvene. The campaign
must last a minimum of thirty-six days, and polling date must fall
on a Monday, although it may fall on a Tuesday if the desired date
is a public holiday. There is no maximum length for these
campaigns, but the custom is to stick to thirty-six days.
Qcampaigns, but the custom is to stick to thirty-six days.
REGISTERED PARTIES
-------------------------------
¶4. (U) Political parties must register with Elections Canada, have
a minimum of 250 members, and field at least one candidate. In the
2006 federal election, there were fifteen registered parties, of
which only four won seats. The Bloc Qubcois runs candidates only
in the province of Quebec. Approximately 5 per cent of candidates
run as independents. Elections Canada conducts the election, trains
and funds election officers, and monitors financing and other rules.
Voter turn out in the 2006 election was 64.7% (60.9% in 2004).
FINANCING
----------------
¶5. (U) There is no limit on the amount of money that parties and
individual candidates may raise, but total election spending is
capped. Parties and individual candidates are subject to separate
limits that vary according to the number of voters in each riding.
For registered parties, the formula is C$.70 (adjusted annually for
inflation) multiplied by the number of registered electors in each
riding in which each party is running a candidate. In the 2006
federal election, the total spending cap per party was
C$18,278,278.64. For candidates, the formula is C$2.07 for each of
the first 15,000 electors in the riding; C$1.04 for each of the next
OTTAWA 00000305 002 OF 003
100,000 electors; and C$0.52 for each of the remaining electors (all
figures adjusted annually for inflation). Only Canadian citizens
and permanent residents may donate to registered parties, to a
maximum of C$1,100 per individual per calendar year; contributions
in cash are limited to C$20 to allow Elections Canada to track
financing. Tax credits are available for political donations. The
law prohibits all donations from corporations, trade unions, and
other associations.
¶6. (U) Parties that receive at least 2 per cent of valid votes
cast nationally, or 5 per cent in the ridings they have contested,
are entitled to a refund of fifty per cent of their eligible
election expenses from public funds. Candidates who receive at
least ten per cent of votes cast in their riding are eligible for
reimbursement of sixty per cent of their election expenses. In
addition, registered parties that receive 2 per cent of valid votes
nationally, or 5 per cent in ridings they have contested, are
eligible for an ongoing annual allowance of C$1.75 for each vote won
(indexed to inflation) in the previous federal election.
BROADCASTING AND ADVERTISING
--------------------------------------------- ------
¶7. (U) Elections Canada regulates and allocates media broadcasting
time -- both paid and free -- in consultation with the political
parties. Broadcasters are legally required collectively to provide
429 minutes of paid time in prime time periods at subsidized rates.
Networks that receive public funding (e.g., CBC) must collectively
also provide free time at least equal to the time they provided in
the previous election (654 minutes in 2006) and divide it among the
parties. No party may exceed a 50% share of regulated broadcasting
time, but parties may buy extra time at the discretion of
broadcasters at market rates. All election advertising expenses are
subject to the maximum spending cap per candidate and party.
Election advertising and the broadcasting of previously unreleased
public opinion surveys is prohibited on election day.
¶8. (U) Election advertising by third parties is limited to
C$179,400 per organization and to C$3,588 per riding. Third parties
-- defined as a person or group, including an unincorporated trade
union, trade association, corporation, or other group of persons
acting together by mutual consent for a common purpose -- must
register with Elections Canada upon incurring C$500 in
election-related advertising expenses. Such advertising must
identify the third parties and state that they funded the ad. Third
parties must also appoint a financial auditor for election
advertising expenses over C$5,000, may not accept anonymous or
foreign-sourced funds, and must submit detailed financial accounts
-- including names of all donors -- to Election Canada of all
election advertising spending within four months after election day.
¶9. (U) The Conservative Party and Elections Canada are currently in
litigation in the Federal Court of Canada over Elections Canada's
decision to disallow expense claims for election advertising for at
least thirty-eight Conservative candidates in 2006. Elections
Canada alleges that the Conservative Party transferred more than C$1
million -- in so-called "in-and-out" transactions -- between itself
and its candidates' campaigns to buy advertising that actually
promoted the national party, although candidates subsequently filed
for reimbursement under personal campaign expenses. If the
Conservative Party cannot prove that the expenses were legitimately
incurred by its candidates, the payments will push the national
Qincurred by its candidates, the payments will push the national
Conservative campaign over the spending cap, put the party in
violation of the Elections Act, and subject it to a maximum fine of
C$25,000. Any party convicted of the serious charge of willful
collusion to exceed expense limits also faces possible
deregistration. The Conservative Party denies that it broke the
law.
GOING TO THE POLLS
-------------------------------
¶10. (U) Canada practices a "single-member plurality" or
"first-past-the-post" system, in which the candidate with the most
votes in each riding wins the seat. All Canadian citizens aged
eighteen or over are eligible to vote. Elections Canada maintains a
permanent voters' list -- the National Register of Electors -- with
information (name, address, gender, and date of birth) that it
continuously updates based on federal, provincial, and territorial
data sources. Citizens may choose not to be included in the list,
but then must register for each election at a polling station or
with an election official by providing evidence of eligibility.
Voters do not register as members of a political party and there are
no fees to vote. Voting is by secret ballot. Elections Canada
appoints an impartial returning officer in each electoral riding to
rent space for polling stations, hires non-partisan poll clerks to
staff the stations, and oversees the conduct of the election. On
polling day, each political party may also assign one representative
to each polling station as a "scrutineer" to observe the election.
OTTAWA 00000305 003 OF 003
¶11. (U) On election day, polling stations are open for twelve
consecutive hours, with hours of voting staggered across time zones
to allow the majority of results to become available at
approximately the same time nationwide (9:30 p.m. EST). Election
results from other ridings or regions are blacked out until all
polls close in that riding. Elections Canada officially validates
results within seven days of the election, returns the writs six
days after validation, and publishes the results, at which point
they are considered official. The House of Commons reconvenes on
the date set by the Governor General in the initial Royal
Proclamation, or at a later date if so authorized in a new
Proclamation on the advice of the prime minister. There is no rule
regarding how quickly Parliament should meet after an election, but
the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms requires that Parliament
sit at least once every twelve months.
CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
--------------------------------------------
¶12. (U) The prime minister and Cabinet continue to exercise their
duties throughout a campaign and election. If the party of an
incumbent prime minister wins the election, the prime minister and
Cabinet do not need to be sworn in again, with the exception of
ministers who change portfolios or new ministers appointed to
Cabinet for the first time. If the governing party loses the
election, the prime minister and cabinet remain in office during a
transition period, the length of which is negotiated between the
incoming and outgoing governments (usually ten to fourteen days).
The outgoing Cabinet resigns en masse immediately prior to the
swearing-in of an incoming Cabinet.
A MODEL FOR THE WORLD
--------------------------------------
¶13. (U) Canada upholds a high standard for free and fair
elections. It is in the first tier of Freedom House's index of
countries that protect and promote the political and civil rights of
their citizens, including organization of truly democratic
elections. Since 1980, Elections Canada has organized some 400
international democratic development missions in 100 countries.
WILKINS