To their credit, Elections Canada replied , and before even 24 hours after I filed the complaint. They confirmed I was correct and that they were going to refer the complaint to the Commissioner of Canada Elections. They also took it a step further and suggested I file a complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman as well, which I will do in the morning. The following is the text of the email I received from Elections Canada:
"Expenses related to a person’s involvement in a candidate’s campaign are election expenses and have to be authorized in writing by the candidate’s official agent. Any expense incurred in relation to the campaign has to be reimbursed using the candidate’s campaign funds or should be treated as a contribution from an individual.
The official agent of a candidate is obligated to record these expenses in the electoral campaign return of the candidate which is submitted to Elections Canada no later than four months after election day. In order to understand whether there has been a breach of the Canada Elections Act in this regard; the electoral return of the candidate would have to reviewed to ensure these expenses were included on the return.
However, in the meantime, we will refer this matter to the Commissioner of Canada Elections. You might also want to file a complaint with the Ombudsman for the Ontario government.".
I would like to thank Elections Canada personally for their swift attention to my complaint.
