Election expense inflation factor 2026

Summary#

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer published the inflation adjustment factor used under the Canada Elections Act for the one-year period beginning April 1, 2026. The notice lists the factor as 195.5 or 1.800 108.6; the source text appears garbled, so it is unclear which form is intended.

What it does#

• Announces the inflation adjustment that will apply from April 1, 2026 for one year.
• Says this factor is used to calculate:
  • limits on election expenses for candidates,
  • limits on partisan advertising and election expenses for registered parties,
  • limits on partisan activity, partisan advertising, election advertising and election survey expenses for third parties,
  • and audit subsidy payments for registered associations, nomination contestants, candidates and leadership contestants.
• The item is signed by Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer.
• Note: the published numbers (195.5 or 1.800 108.6) look inconsistent in the source, so the exact numeric form is unclear from this notice.

Who's affected#

• Candidates running in federal elections.
• Registered parties that report and limit campaign spending.
• Third parties (groups that spend on partisan or election advertising).
• Registered associations, nomination contestants, and leadership contestants who may receive audit subsidies.
• Election administrators and campaign managers who budget and report expenses.
  If you are not in these groups, this change is unlikely to affect you directly.

Why it matters#

• The inflation factor changes the dollar amounts that govern how much people and groups can spend during campaigns and how much they may get back in audit subsidies.
• That affects campaign budgets, planning, and compliance with reporting rules.
• Because the published numbers look garbled, people who plan or administer campaign finances should watch for clarification from Elections Canada before finalizing budgets.