How to Register or De-register a Political Party
Political parties in Ontario must be registered with Elections Ontario. There is no fee to register a political party. Successful registration allows a party to:
- receive contributions and issue tax receipts;
- finance the party’s political activities in a campaign period;
- be reimbursed for campaign expenses; and
- have constituency associations and candidates.
Before a political party can apply to be registered with Elections Ontario it must:
- reserve the party name with Elections Ontario;
- appoint a chief financial officer (CFO); and
- appoint an auditor.
When you fill out forms please ensure:
- all information is accurate and complete (inaccurate information will cause delays and may be a contravention of the Election Finances Act); and
- information is typed or printed clearly on the form.
For more information about registration and de-registration please see our CFO Handbook for Political Parties.
After you have reserved your party name, follow the steps below to register your party outside of a campaign period:
- Complete Form P-4: Petition to Register a Political Party.
- Collect a minimum of 1000 signatures from electors and include the signatures with your registration.
- These signatures must be collected within the one-year period during which the party name has been reserved.
- At the end of that year, the signatures cannot be used with your registration.
- Send us your completed form and signatures. We will review your information and contact a random sample of people who have signed your form for verification.
- To allow for the assessment, all forms and signatures must be submitted a minimum of two months before a political campaign.
For more information about registration and de-registration, please see the CFO Handbook for Political Parties.
There are three ways that a political party can be de-registered:
- voluntary de-registration;
- discretionary de-registration; and
- mandatory de-registration.
If you wish to voluntarily de-register a political party, complete Form P-1 Political Party Registration and Change Notice and return it to us in person, by mail or email.
There is no fee to de-register a party. There are filing requirements and requirements for the party’s funds. Please see the CFO Handbook for Political Parties for details.
Discretionary de-registration and mandatory de-registration are not voluntary. They will be used by Elections Ontario if it becomes necessary. More information about discretionary de-registration, mandatory de-registration and re-registration after de-registration can be found in the CFO Handbook for Political Parties.