Filing Guidelines for Leadership Contestants
If you register as a leadership contestant in Ontario there are rules you need to follow according to the Election Finances Act.
Below is a summary of some of the key filing requirements. For a full listing and complete details, please see the CFO Handbook for Leadership Contestants.
When you fill out a form, please ensure:
- all information is accurate and complete (inaccurate information will cause delays and may be a contravention of the Election Finances Act).
- information is typed or printed clearly on the form
Please note that filling out these forms is not a replacement for your responsibility to follow auditable bookkeeping practices.
For full details about the filing guidelines and where to file forms, see the CFO Handbook for Leadership Contestants.
As a leadership contestant, you must appoint a chief financial officer (CFO) and an auditor before registering with Elections Ontario. Your CFO has many legal responsibilities including recording, reporting and keeping financial information.
For guidelines about a CFO’s roles and responsibilities, including how to open a bank account for the leadership contestant’s campaign, please see our CFO Handbook for Leadership Contestants.
As the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for a leadership contestant, you must file two sets of audited financial statements for your leadership contestant’s campaign:
1. Form CR-5: Leadership Contestant Contest Reporting Period Financial Statement (6 months)
The first set of audited financial statements for your leadership contestant must be filed within six months after the date of the leadership vote. This set of financial statements includes all activity from the date the leadership contest started to two months after the date of the leadership vote.
2. Form CR-5: Leadership Contestant Contest Reporting Period Financial Statement (20 months)
The second set of audited financial statements for your leadership contestant must be filed within 20 months after the date of the leadership vote. This set of financial statements includes all activity from two months after the date of the leadership vote until twelve months after the leadership vote.
For complete guidelines, please see our CFO Handbook for Leadership Contestants.
In addition to the financial statements outlined above, your chief financial officer (CFO) or their designate must report contributions that total more than $100.00 from a single source within 10 business days of deposit.
Elections Ontario must publish these contributions on our website within 2 business days of receiving the information.
For full details on the guidelines for disclosure of contributions see the CFO Handbook for Leadership Contestants.
Use our Election Finance Database to find information on contributions made to registered leadership contestants that exceed $100.00 from a single source. Our tool allows you to search by:
- party;
- candidate or leadership contestant;
- constituency association;
- contribution report; and
- financial statements.