Spending limits swell, but that’s little relief for most candidates

The 2011 federal election campaign in Nunavik saw a rare visit by two candidates, in a region where travel expenses are usually too great a barrier. (FILE PHOTO)

The launch of an 11-week federal election campaign has given a major boost to spending limits for political parties and their candidates in the lead-up to the Oct. 19 vote.

Elections Canada released its election spending limits earlier this week, which have more than doubled from the last election to reflect this year’s 79-day campaign — up from the standard 37 days.

In Nunavut, where election expenses were capped for candidates at $83,225 in 2011, the riding’s new crop of candidates can spend $202,334 this time around.

The increase is similar in the Northern Quebec riding of Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou, where that limit rose from $100,371 in 2011 to $247,074.

All of that may mean little for candidates in regions like northern Quebec or Nunavut, who rarely come close to raising, or spending, their expense limits.

Even incumbent Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, a federal cabinet minister who raised over $100,000 in donations ahead of the 2011 election, spent about $65,000 — roughly 80 per cent of her limit that year.

But travel — arguably one of the biggest campaign expenses for candidates in a geographically vast ridings like Nunavut — falls under a candidate’s personal expenses and is not subject Elections Canada’s ceiling.

Elections Canada does not set a limit on personal expenses, saying only that they should be “reasonably incurred.”

So while Aglukkaq spent $65, 000 on expenses subject to the limit, she spent another $99,387 on personal expenses, most of which included commercial and chartered air travel through the territory, as well as hotel rooms.

Aglukkaq’s competition in 2011, Liberal candidate Paul Okalik, spent $61,838 under the spending limit, but another $72,632 in personal expenses during that campaign. In contrast, the NDP’s 2011 candidate Jack Hicks spent $6,657 on expenses subject to the spending limit, and $9,474 of personal expenses.

But despite the geography, campaign spending limits in northern ridings are still lower than in Canada’s more southern and urban ridings, because they’re based on the number of electors in a given riding.

“They do try to accommodate large ridings where candidates have to travel to reach all the electors in a big region,” said Diane Benson, a spokesperson with Elections Canada.

Since the government made changes to the Canada Elections Act earlier this year, Benson explained that spending limits were standardized for 37-day election campaigns with a prorated daily increases for both political parties and candidates.

This includes an adjustment designed to support low-population regions: when the number of electors per square kilometre is less than 10 — as in the case of Nunavut — the amount calculated is increased by 25 per cent, or $0.31 per square kilometre, whichever is lesser.

Regardless of those changes, many analysts have questioned the potential advantage the Conservatives hold in this lengthy campaign, as the better-financed of the federal parties, against other local candidates.

Alice Funke, who offers election and financing analysis on her blog, PunditsGuide.ca, says that increased spending limits will likely be to the detriment of opposing candidates in this campaign, particularly where geography is a barrier, like in the North.

“It can be really hard to campaign in ridings north of 60 and in other northern parts of the provinces, depending on the weather and especially if you’re trying to defeat an incumbent,” Funke said.

“You definitely need to have a political party behind you. It would be impossible to raise that kind of money on your own.”

Case in point: in 2011, a federal cabinet minister like Aglukkaq “was able to get around the communities quite well,” Funke said, while many candidates in northern regions don’t have that option.

Many, she said, are forced to focus their campaign in the region’s major centre, or even a more southern centre.

Only two candidates made it to Nunavik during the 2011 federal election campaign, in what might have been a record year for campaigning in that region.

In this year’s campaign, political parties and candidates can collect contributions no larger than $1,500 per person or corporation.

The political party spending limit in this year’s election is $54.5 million — if the party runs a candidate in each of the country’s 338 ridings.

But parties can look forward to a payback: election spending by political parties is eligible for a 50 per cent reimbursement, as long as they receive at least two per cent of the national vote.

Individual candidates are eligible to have 60 per cent of their expenses reimbursed by Elections Canada, as long as they receive 10 per cent of the vote.

This story has been edited from an earlier version which suggested that candidates’ travel expenses fall under Election Canada’s campaign spending limit, when in fact, they are considered personal expenses. Nunatsiaq News apologizes for the error.