Canada Elections Act

The Canada Elections Act (full title: An Act respecting the election of members to the House of Commons, repealing other Acts relating to elections and making consequential amendments to other Acts) is an Act of the Parliament of Canada which regulates the election of members of parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. The Act has been amended many times over Canada's history, most recently in 2000.
The "Canada Election Act" limits spending on election advertising by interest groups, which was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in "Harper v. Canada (Attorney General)" (2004). It also sets out various provisions regarding the publication or broadcast of election advertising and election results.
In 1989, the government of Canada appointed the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing regarding restrictions in the "Elections Act" inconsistent with Section Three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In 1996, the "Act" was amended to establish a Register of Electors.
In 2003, the "Act" was extended to cover the nomination contests of registered parties. In 2007, it was amended to mandate fixed election dates.
Political action committees.
In 2015, wealthy U.S.-style political action committees (PAC) organizations were introduced to Ontario and Alberta and were expected to play a major role in Canadian political elections at the provincial and federal level. PACs are new to Canadian federal politics and are "technically federal non-profit corporations" registered with Industry Canada. The "Canada Elections Act" allows PACs to "spend up to $150,000 on third-party advertising during an election" but "spending outside the election period is [/was] unlimited." up until the enactment of the "Elections Modernization Act" in 2018, even after which spending was nonetheless unlimited outside of the defined pre-election periods. In Ontario, the union-funded Working Families Coalition, spent millions on anti-conservative ads before the 2015 Ontario provincial elections. The left-leaning organization Engage Canada, which released its first anti-Harper attack ad early June 2015. The right-leaning Conservative PAC Foundation founded by high-profile Alberta conservatives Jonathan Denis, Brad Tennant and Zoe Addington in June 2015 funded advertising in support of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.