You've made the decision to become a candidate in the next federal election.
Here are the steps to take to you get your name on the ballot.
There are seven steps that you must complete in order to run as a candidate in a federal election.
Here are some of the criteria you need to be a candidate:
For a full list of criteria to be a candidate, see section 65 of the Canada Elections Act.
To learn more about becoming a candidate in a federal election, watch Becoming a Candidate.
Elections Canada's teams are available to help with any questions you have about your eligibility to become a candidate. You can contact them at the Political Entities Support Network at 1-800-486-6563.
You can run as a candidate of a political party or you can run as an independent candidate.
Running as a member of a political party means a registered federal political party has officially endorsed you to represent them in your electoral district. Each political party sets the rules for endorsing candidates.
The name of the political party will appear under your name on the ballot.
Check the Elections Canada list of Canada's registered federal political parties. Contact the party of your choice for more information on their candidate nomination process.
Visual of a bilingual paper ballot showing how candidates' names and political affiliations are displayed, and circles to the right of each name for the elector's choice. This example shows four candidates, including one independent candidate and one with no political affiliation.
Running as an independent candidate means you aren't representing any of the registered federal political parties.
Rather than the name of a political party, you can choose to have "Independent" show under your name on the ballot.
Watch the Elections Canada video on Launching your Bid to learn more about the differences between running as a candidate of a political party and running as an independent candidate.
Visual of a bilingual paper ballot showing how candidates' names and political affiliations are displayed, and circles to the right of each name for the elector's choice. This example shows four candidates, including one independent candidate and one with no political affiliation.
You can only run as a candidate in one electoral district, but you don't need to live there to run.
Once you've decided your affiliation, you need to complete your Nomination Paper. You can get and fill out your Nomination Paper online or in person.
There are two ways you can get and fill out your Nomination Paper online.
You can also get your Nomination Paper in person from the returning officer. Visit the Voter Information Service page. Enter your postal code to find the returning officer's contact information, and other important information about your electoral district.
You can start filling out your Nomination Paper at any time. You can only submit your nomination when the election has started.
This table will help you fill out all the sections of the Nomination Paper.
| Section | Details | Who is involved? |
|---|---|---|
| ACandidate Information (mandatory) |
Your nameGive your name and other personal information. You'll need to provide proof of identification using ID from this list. If the name you want to appear on the ballot is different from your given name, you'll need to prove that you are known by that name using ID from the same list. Political affiliationList your political affiliation. Enter the name of the political party you are representing, or write "independent" if you aren't representing a political party, or leave this line blank. You cannot change your political affiliation once your nomination has been confirmed. |
You (the candidate) Confirm with your political party that they've included your name on their list of endorsed candidates. |
| ACandidate Declaration and Signature (mandatory) |
Make the candidate's solemn declaration before an authorized individual. WitnessYour witness must receive your declaration free of charge. Check subsection 549(1) of the Canada Elections Act for the full criteria to serve as a witness. |
You (the candidate) An individual who is authorized to receive solemn declarations can include
|
| BCampaign Delegate (optional) |
If you choose to authorize someone to do certain actions for you during the election, you must fill out this section. This person is called the campaign delegate. The campaign delegate can submit your nomination See Step 4 for more information on the campaign delegate. |
You (the candidate) and your campaign delegate |
| COffical Agent (mandatory) |
Give the name and other personal information for your official agent. The official agent also signs the privacy notice and declaration page. See Step 4 for more information on the official agent. |
Official agent |
| DAuditor (optional) |
Complete this section if you need an auditor. Your campaign needs an auditor if either:
You might not need to fill out this part of the form now. If you meet these requirements later, you must come back and complete this section of the Nomination Paper with the auditor's information. The auditor signs the privacy notice and declaration page. See Step 4 for more information on the auditor. |
Auditor (if you need one) |
| ECampaign Office (optional) |
Complete this section if you need an auditor. Your campaign needs an auditor if either: You can choose to give the telephone number, website or links to social media platforms to be included in the Voter Information Service on Elections Canada's website. This information can help voters learn about your campaign. |
You (the candidate) or your campaign delegate |
Your campaign team must include an official agent. It could also include an auditor and a campaign delegate. Here's more information on your campaign team:
Your official agent manages the campaign's finances and reports them to Elections Canada.
Here are some things to know when choosing an official agent.
Watch Election Canada's video Becoming an Official Agent to learn more about the responsibilities of the role.
For more information about the electoral campaign expenses, see the Elections Canada resource Political Financing Handbook for Candidates and Official Agents.
If you have an official agent and a dedicated campaign bank account, your campaign can spend money or accept contributions of money, property, or services from people, but you cannot give tax receipts to anyone who gives contributions before you're officially confirmed as a candidate by the returning officer.
Some candidates might need to appoint an auditor. Your auditor examines your financial records.
You'll need to appoint an auditor if your campaign reaches one of the following milestones at any time before, during or after the election:
Not every campaign will reach these milestones.
Your campaign delegate is someone you authorize to take on some of your campaign responsibilities.
You have the option to appoint a campaign delegate who can perform certain tasks on your behalf, which includes submitting the nomination package and collecting election materials.
See the Political Financing Handbook for Candidates and Official Agents to find out more about the appointment process, the role and the eligibility requirements for the official agent and the auditor.
All candidates must collect signatures from electors who are eligible to vote (Canadian citizens who are at least 18 years old on election day) that live in the electoral district where you intend to run. When an elector gives you their signature, this means that they support you as a candidate; it does not mean that they will vote for you.
The document to collect signatures is called Section F – Electors Consenting to Candidacy (EC 20010F).
You can find it in two places:
In most electoral districts, you need to submit 100 signatures with your Nomination Paper. There are some electoral districts where you only need to submit 50 signatures. These districts are mostly in rural or remote areas. Check the list of electoral districts in Schedule 3 to see if your electoral district is one of these places.
When an election is called, you have until the close of nominations (2 p.m. on the 21st day before election day) to submit your Nomination Paper and the other required documents. There are two ways to submit your documents:
When you're ready to submit your nomination, these are the steps and service standards that apply.
When submitting your Nomination Paper, the names and addresses of the electors who signed Section F should be clear and complete. We recommend that you get 50 more signatures than you need. That way, if there are any issues with any of the electors on your list when the returning officer reviews the signatures, you'll still have enough. Once nominations are closed, you cannot get more.
After you submit your nomination package, the returning officer has 48 hours to:
The returning officer will contact you to let you know if your nomination has been confirmed or refused.
If your nomination is refused, the returning officer will tell you the reasons for the refusal and of the process to resubmit a nomination package by providing the Notice of Refusal of Nomination.
If your Nomination Paper is incomplete, you may correct it or file a new copy before the close of nominations (2 p.m. on the 21st day before election day).
Submit your paper early! That way you have time to fix anything if the returning officer asks you to make changes.
If your nomination is confirmed, your name will appear on the list of candidates in your electoral district on Elections Canada's Voter Information Service.
The returning officer will give you the materials for candidates. They will also give you information products about your electoral district that may help you with your campaign. You can also access these materials from the PESC portal.
You can make some changes to your Nomination Paper, such as your name, address, and occupation, once your nomination has been confirmed. You must make these changes before 5 p.m. on the closing day for nominations.
You can withdraw your name as a candidate until 5 p.m. on the closing day for nominations. Give the returning officer a written statement signed by you and witnessed by two electors from your electoral district. Otherwise, your name will appear on the ballot.