Third Party Political Participation and Anti-Collusion Rules

(2018) 61:2 Canadian Public Administration (Forthcoming)

Posted: 30 Jan 2018

See all articles by Michael Pal

Michael Pal

University of Ottawa - Common Law Section

Date Written: January 18, 2018

Abstract

One of the enduring questions regarding third parties is how to prevent collusion between them and political parties. Collusion raises the spectre of third parties being used as vehicles to evade the spending and contribution limits imposed on political parties. I will argue in this article that federal election laws are inadequate at deterring collusion. The episode involving the ‘HarperPAC’ and similar groups around the 2015 election helped to shine a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of the Canada Elections Act. I argue that the model deployed by the U.S. Federal Election Commission to regulate independent expenditures represents a promising path for reform, if carefully adapted to the Canadian context.

Keywords: Third parties, collusion, campaign finance, election advertising, Canada Elections Act, HarperPAC

Suggested Citation

Pal, Michael, Third Party Political Participation and Anti-Collusion Rules (January 18, 2018). (2018) 61:2 Canadian Public Administration (Forthcoming) , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3104968

Michael Pal (Contact Author)

University of Ottawa - Common Law Section ( email )

57 Louis Pasteur Street
Ottawa, K1N 6N5
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://www.commonlaw.uottawa.ca/index.php?option=com_contact&task=view&contact_id=799&Itemid=151

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