Health protocols have been established to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during municipal and school board elections. Health guidelines, recommendations, and measures apply to political financing activities.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has implemented various health measures to protect the population. For activities related to authorization, political financing and expenses, we encourage you to ensure that you adhere to these measures, including physical distancing, maximum number of people allowed in gatherings and wearing masks. Please review all the measures in force at Quebec.ca.
Élections Québec has also made certain adjustments to facilitate carrying out these activities in the current context.
Remote services are already well established with political entities. The extranet allows for centralized distribution of information and documentation.
Under the current health emergency, the following adaptations also support providing remote services.
Funds transfers may be used to pay for current and election expenses. A party requesting authorization may also use this method of payment to make its $500 deposit.
Political parties, electors who commit to run as a candidate, or a private intervenor may email copies of the following documents, rather than transmitting the original document:
Electors can also make political contributions by credit card.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has implemented various health measures to protect the population. Be sure to follow these measures as they apply to activities related to authorization, political financing and expenses. Please visit the Quebec.ca website to review all measures currently in force.
Amendments were made to the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities (CQLR, c. E-2.2 [AERM]) for the 2021 municipal general elections, pursuant to the Act to facilitate the conduct of the 7 November 2021 municipal general election in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (S.Q. 2021, c. 8) and the subsequent Regulation issued by the Chief Electoral Officer. Élections Québec also made certain adjustments to facilitate these activities in the context of the pandemic.
Although public health measures have been relaxed, some of them continue to apply. With respect to the amendments to the AERM, the ministerial order extending the application of the Chief Electoral Officer’s Regulation to by-elections was repealed on March 18, 2022.
Reports to be filed following these elections (e.g., returns of election expenses) continue to be governed by the Regulation issued by the Chief Electoral Officer under the Act to facilitate the conduct of the 7 November 2021 municipal general election in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the amendments to the Act respecting elections and referendums in municipalities.
In this context:
Ministerial order 2021-082 (issued on November 17, 2021) has been repealed; nevertheless, pursuant to ministerial order 2022-022 (issued on March 18, 2022), both the Regulation amending certain municipal provisions to facilitate the conduct of the municipal general election of November 7, 2021, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the extension of the election period remain applicable to ongoing by-elections.
Accordingly, in the context of by-elections and subsequent proceedings already underway as of March 18, 2022:
The extension of the election period from 45 to 52 days, as provided for in ministerial order 2021-082 (issued on November 17, 2021) also remains applicable to such elections.
These changes do not apply to by-elections called on or after March 18, 2022.
Certain administrative measures established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic remain in effect for all municipal by-elections. This is the case with remote services, which are already widely used by political entities. The extranets allow for the centralized distribution of information and documentation.
Maintaining the following adaptations also facilitates the provision of remote services.
The Government declared a public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic in all of the territory of Québec on March 13, 2020 (Order in Council 177-2020 (PDF)). The declaration has been continually renewed since then, and several health guidelines have been issued to ensure the protection of the public. These measures may, in particular, be established by an order in council of the Government or an order of the Minister of Health and Social Services made under the Public Health Act (CQLR, c. S-2.2). The fall 2020 school election was not held due to Order 2020-096 dated November 25, 2020. On August 4, 2021, this Order was revoked by Order 2021-057 and Order in Council 1076-2021 set September 26, 2021 as the new date for the polls.
It is in that context that Élections Québec, in collaboration with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, has developed a health protocol that brings together all the public health measures and recommendations in terms of authorization, candidate financing and expenses. The health protocol must be applied by all individuals concerned.
As part of the conduct of elections in English-language school board elections, Élections Québec, in collaboration with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, has established a Health protocol to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during the school elections of September 26, 2021, with respect to authorization, financing and expenses to govern the safe holding of elections in the context of a pandemic.
For more information on the COVID-19-related measures to apply to financing of candidates, consult the summary table (PDF), which further discusses these measures.
Élections Québec and the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux have collaborated to develop a Health protocol to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during the school election of September 26, 2021, with respect to authorization, financing and expenses (PDF).
As long as this protocol is in effect, it must be applied by all persons concerned. It may be modified in response to changing epidemiology and new findings regarding COVID-19. Given that frequent changes are likely as the lockdown is lifted, please visit the Quebec.ca website regularly for updates on health measures. All persons concerned by this protocol are responsible for complying with the health measures in effect.
In addition to this question and answer section, a summary table (PDF) provides further details on how to apply these guidelines relating to candidates’ financing.
The form to apply for authorization of a candidate or an elector who undertakes to run as a candidate (DGE-5801 (PDF)) as well as the schedule to the application for authorization (DGE-5802 (PDF)) and the slip to collect supporting signatures (DGE-5802.1 (PDF)) are available on the Élections Québec website. Either of these documents can be used to collect your supporting signatures. You can also obtain a copy by contacting the returning officer of your English-language school board.
Simply complete and sign the form, attach the list of supporting signature or individual slips, and send it to the returning officer. Transmission by email is preferred. If you use email transmission, please keep the transmitted documents, as they may be requested if more information is required.
The returning officer is encouraged to provide remote support in terms of answering questions from persons wishing to submit an application for authorization.
If possible, documents should be sent by email to reduce the risk of infection. However, you may make an appointment with the returning officer of your English-language school board to submit your application for authorization in person.
At this appointment, the returning officer must comply with the following health guidelines:
Once you are authorized, you can make an appointment with the director general of your English-language school board to obtain contribution receipts.
A Health protocol to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during the school election of September 26, 2021, with respect to authorization, financing and expenses (PDF) has been developed with competent authorities. More specifically, the protocol includes measures governing the solicitation of signatures in support of an application for authorization.
In order to limit in-person interactions with electors, Élections Québec recommends that supporting signatures be solicited and collected remotely. A summary table (PDF), available on the Élections Québec website, outlines the application of these guidelines. A slip (DGE-5802.1 (PDF)) allows for collecting signatures individually. You can email this slip to a person who wishes to support you; this person can then print, sign and scan the slip, before emailing it back to you. You should attach any slips collected in this way to your application for authorization, which you can submit by email. Please retain the submitted documents, as they may be requested if more information is required.
Important: This option does not apply to the supporting signatures accompanying a nomination paper, which must always be collected in person.
However, if the collection of supporting signatures in done in person, schedule 5802 of form Application for authorization of a candidate or an elector who undertakes to run as a candidate can also be used to collect signatures on the same document.
You will also be provided with a list of health guidelines. In particular, this list makes provisions for the following:
As of August 1, 2021, the following items also appear on the list of health guidelines:
You must transmit the completed list of health guidelines to the returning officer when filing an application for authorization of the elector who undertakes to run as a candidate.
A Health protocol to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 during the school election of September 26, 2021, with respect to authorization, financing and expenses (PDF) has been developed with competent authorities. Based on this protocol, contributions should be solicited remotely (i.e., by telephone or email) whenever possible. A provisional receipt (PDF), available online, allows electors to sign the mandatory declaration. The elector must sign the receipt and send it to you along with the contribution. You will then be able to provide an official receipt to the contributor. The provisional receipt must be submitted to the director general of the English-language school board at the same time as the official receipt.
However, if you solicit contributions in person, a list of health guidelines is available. In particular, this list makes provisions for the following:
As of August 1, 2021, the following items also appear on the list of health guidelines:
This list is also available on the Élections Québec website.
Any person designated to solicit or collect contributions must be informed of these health measures. He or she must also be given the list of health guidelines for in-person solicitation.
Contributions can only be made to the candidate or the person designated by the candidate.
You must submit the completed list of health guidelines to the director general of the English-language school board, along with the contribution receipts.
Élections Québec would like to remind all stakeholders of the importance of respecting the measures established by the government and public health authorities as part of activities related to the election campaign, particularly with respect to indoor and outdoor gatherings. To learn more, you can visit the website of the Government of Québec: Measures in force. Note that remote activities are preferred.
As of August 1, 2021, the measures to be respected, varying by type of activity, are as follows:
Where the entrance fee is considered a contribution, consult the health guidelines for soliciting set out in point 6 of the summary table (PDF).
You may solicit contributions by email or telephone. When making a contribution by email or telephone, the elector can complete a provisional receipt (PDF), available online. The contributor must sign the provisional receipt and send it to you by mail or email, along with his or her contribution. You will be responsible for providing the contributor with an official receipt, which you may also send by mail.
The director general of the English-language school board is encouraged to provide remote support in terms of answering questions on the financing of candidates.
During the election period, contribution receipts are provided by the director general of the English-language school board. In order to avoid having to wait for the receipts to arrive by mail, we encourage you to make an appointment with the director general to receive them in person.
At this appointment, the director general of the English-language school board must comply with the following health guidelines:
In order to avoid, as much as possible, the handling and exchange of cheques by the various stakeholders, Élections Québec authorizes the payment of expenses by transfer of funds, provided that all supporting documents are submitted with the return of election expenses.
Depending on the service used, the relevant supporting documents are as follows:
Note that the use of the debit card is also permitted. The bank statement must be provided.
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