The 91视频 election is taking place on February 27, 2025.

The election period is an opportunity for nonprofits to connect with residents, and work together on shared issues and opportunities for collective community impact, but with a snap election being called these opportunities are compressed as often planning for an election is limited by various factors, but this does not mean that nonprofits cannot still engage.

Nonprofits play a vital role in fostering an inclusive democracy. As the bridge between our communities and government, nonprofits engage and amplify community voices, provide unique public policy insight, and hold governments and decision-makers accountable. As trusted messengers with deep community roots, nonprofits are uniquely positioned to reach underrepresented voters and build a more inclusive and equitable democracy.

Read more about how democracy cannot thrive without the nonprofit sector in this blog.

Effective election advocacy does not follow a one-size-fits-all formula.

ONN encourages nonprofits to engage in election advocacy work, share the impact you are having, and talk about the issues your nonprofit and community care about, before, during and after the election. Let鈥檚 not be humble!

Even with a limited timeframe, there are ways for nonprofits to act, such as:

• Combating misinformation and disinformation during elections
• Communicating the value of nonprofits
• Election advocacy 
• Encouraging non-partisan voter engagement

Get more info about ONN鈥檚 upcoming webinar: .

91视频鈥檚 Election Finances Act – Third party election advertising

Before the 2022 91视频 election, the Government of 91视频 changed the Election Finances Act (s.37.10(2)) to extend the limits on how much third parties like nonprofits can spend on election advertising to include the election period and 12 months before the writ dropped. A union-led coalition successfully challenged this in the 91视频 Superior Court and 91视频 Court of Appeal, which struck down this rule about the spending limit in the pre-election period. The Government has appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada which heard the case in May of 2024 but has not yet given their decision. In the meantime, the spending limit on the pre-election period does not apply.

However, if an election is called before this government’s term is up, the above court battle will not be relevant. This is because the spending limits during the pre-election period are only relevant when there is a fixed date election (i.e. an election that happens at the end of a government’s full term). For elections that happen before the end of a government’s full term, there is no spending limit on third party advertising until the writ is dropped (see of the Election Finances CFO Handbook for Third Parties 2025).

Additional resources:

• • 91视频 2025 snap election 鈥� Third party advertising rules: questions from the webinar
• Political Advertising Spending Chart
• Infographic – Vibrant Democracy. Vital Communities.

ONN鈥檚 91视频 election priorities

Communities must be front-and-centre in this provincial election. It is vital that all parties focus on ensuring the nonprofit sector thrives, so organizations can continue to feed, shelter, heal, inspire, educate, and nurture communities across 91视频.

This election, ONN is calling on all political party leaders to:

1. Create a home in government for the nonprofit sector to effectively work with 91视频鈥檚 58,000 nonprofits and charities.
2. Kick-start an 91视频 Nonprofit Housing Acquisition Fund to protect affordable rental housing stock. 
3. Prioritize nonprofit and public systems to deliver care in 91视频 and build safeguards to protect 91视频鈥檚 vital care infrastructure from commercialization.

Download ONN鈥檚 election priorities.

If ONN鈥檚 election priorities resonate with you, we encourage you to:

• Share them on social media, newsletters, and with your networks.
• Amplify ONN鈥檚 election priorities during your meetings with candidates, and/or include them in your election priorities. Connect the dots between your policy priorities and ONN鈥檚 election priorities to show

ONN鈥檚 party platform analysis

ONN’s party platform analysis, and a collection nonprofit advocacy efforts, including resources, campaigns, and election priorities:

• 2025 91视频 Election – Party platform analysis
• 2025 91视频 Election – Nonprofit advocacy efforts

You can also check out the party pages for more information about their priorities and platforms:

Election advocacy resources

• 91视频 Nonprofit Sector Infographic
• Elections 91视频 –
• Advocacy Spectrum Tool
• ONN Policy Agenda: Active democracy

Here are four things nonprofits need to know if they want to advocate:

1. Your advocacy has enormous power

As a nonprofit, you bring together beneficiaries, members, volunteers, staff, donors, and others behind a cause in your local community. Many of them would be thrilled to join a campaign to advocate for the cause during a municipal election. Particularly for nonprofits with missions that are locally focused, the low turnout in municipal elections generally means that you have the power to mobilize your community to affect election outcomes. 

2. You have a right to advocate – and communities need you to

Whether you are a grassroots group, nonprofit, or charity, you have a right to participate in the democratic process. Unfortunately, there are still some myths about what nonprofits and charities can’t do. Since changes to the Income Tax Act in 2018, charities now have an unlimited ability to engage in nonpartisan advocacy.聽

3. Registered charities must stay nonpartisan

Registered charities are not allowed to support or oppose a candidate for office and this includes municipal elections. 

However, registered charities can still engage in a wide variety of nonpartisan advocacy activities like:

• All-candidates debates
• Pledges that candidates can sign on to
• Petitions, flyers, and other issue-based awareness raising tools

To learn more about the rules, read put out by the Canada Revenue Agency. Nonprofits that are not charities can choose to be partisan. 

4. You only need to register with your municipality if your advertisements are partisan

Under 91视频鈥檚 Municipal Elections Act, individuals and nonprofit corporations must register with their municipality only if they plan on spending money on advertising that supports, promotes, or opposes a candidate for office or ballot question. If you are considering partisan advertising, you can learn more about the general rules . 

Advocacy resources:

The 91视频 Nonprofit Network has created several resources on effective advocacy:

• Advocacy Spectrum

For inspiring examples of advocacy from our network, follow us on social media as we will be amplifying examples throughout the election period. 

I first heard these powerful words from Pam during ONN鈥檚 webinar on . Nonprofits have been moving like water these past two years; time and again, organizations have pushed through challenges and pivoted in order to continue to feed, shelter, heal, and nurture communities. Organizations also used their collective voice to advocate for their communities and the nonprofit sector. From pandemic pay for frontline workers, liability protection to continue services, to the new federal-provincial child care agreement, our efforts have led to policy changes that benefit communities. Throughout the pandemic, we have found ways to move our missions forward through obstacles.

Now it’s time to focus our sights on the 91视频 election on June 2. This election is a critical moment in time. We are emerging from a two-year global pandemic, facing historic levels of costs of living, and potentially heading into an economic recession. The pandemic has revealed how deeply inequities are entrenched in our current economic and social systems. As nonprofits, we need to continue engaging in advocacy this election to make sure the next government has a vision and a plan to create an equitable post-pandemic 91视频. 

Here are five ways organizations can use this election to benefit communities.

1. Share resources and amplify community voices

A simple way to start engaging in election advocacy is to share resources created by other organizations with your network and amplify the voices of knowledge holders in your community. There might be community organizing efforts already successfully underway. Instead of reinventing the wheels, think about ways to amplify these existing initiatives and provide a platform for them to reach a bigger audience. 

This could look like: 

• Sharing the election priorities of nonprofits that align with your missions on your communication channels (newsletter, social media, etc.). 
• Sharing posts and content from other organizations or individuals that talk about the same issues. 
• Reaching out to folks from other organizations or individuals in the communities you serve and inviting them to share their expertise and strategies with your organization and network – this can be in the form of a presentation, a workshop, or a community meeting.  

ONN recently added a in our newsletter dedicated to sharing election-related news, resources, and inspiring examples of what organizations are doing across 91视频.

Resources to get started: 

2. Raise awareness about your issue

What is the issue you are working on? What are the solutions you want to share? Why should they matter to the public and candidates? Raising awareness about your issues is a great way to demonstrate to the public and candidates that these issues matter. It also shows that you have community-based knowledge and solutions. Write or , or share video stories highlighting key issues for your organization that you want the public to know. There is power in your story! These efforts may not seem explicitly linked to the election, but will raise the profile of your issues and get the attention of parties and candidates.

ONN uses many communication tools to build awareness of sector-wide issues, such as blog posts, , and campaigns.

Resources to get started: 

3. Build the long game: Reach out to candidates and political parties 

Meeting with candidates and political parties is a great way to inform candidates about the work your nonprofit is doing and bring community issues to their attention. During your meeting, you could share with them a recent report, research, or data points that capture key focus for your organization and community. Candidates want to meet as many constituents as they can to demonstrate they know their communities well, and are the best option come polling day. It’s also about the long game: use this opportunity to begin building relationships with candidates to become champions for community issues. A current candidate might become a cabinet minister down the road, making key policy decisions that directly impact the work you do. 

Tip: Make sure to reach out to all political parties and candidates in your riding to cover the spectrum of policy influencers and to remain nonpartisan. 

Engaging with candidates and political parties can involve:

• Writing to candidates to ask for a meeting
• Inviting them to your events
• Attending an event where candidates are speaking
• Engaging with them on social media. For instance, many candidates have Twitter accounts – connecting with them on Twitter is a creative way to get their attention while also being noticed by a wider audience.

ONN is currently reaching out to all provincial parties. We will present to them strategic issues faced by the sector – and propose solutions – to get commitments for a thriving nonprofit sector in their election platforms. Currently, we are working on building champions for the nonprofit sector at Queen鈥檚 Park by meeting with current MPPs in various ridings.

Resources to get started:

• How to find candidates in your riding
• ONN鈥檚 Tips for reaching out to candidates

4. Share what candidates and parties are saying

There is a lot of information being released by candidates and parties leading up to the election. Where does each party stand on the issues impacting the communities you serve? What are they missing? Election engagement is a two-way street so listening to these priorities and analyzing their relevance provides an important service to the people and groups you serve by helping them better understand the election focus now and post-election. To ensure nonpartisanship, don鈥檛 focus only on one candidate or political party. 

Create a web page where all the relevant information can be found in one place to make it easier for communities to access the information. Be creative! You can create tables and infographics to compare different party priorities. 

Check out the examples below for some inspiration before doing your own party platform analysis!

• ONN Summary of Party Positions – 91视频 2018 Election 

Resources to get started:

5. Support your communities to get out and vote

Consider ways to help the communities you serve effectively engage in our democracy. Many communities , including ,, racialized, newcomer, and low-income communities, as well as people with disabilities and . It is crucial that their voices, which have been historically silenced, be heard during elections. 

Ways nonprofits can provide support include:

• Informing clients and program participants about the election and reminding them to vote! Demystifying the voting process.
• Helping them register to vote if needed. 
• Providing free transportation to program participants to polling stations. 

Remember, nonpartisanship is key! Don鈥檛 focus only on one candidate or political party. It鈥檚 not about who people vote for, but that people are empowered to use their right to vote as one way to voice their opinion on policies and issues that matter to them. 

Resources to get started: 

Don鈥檛 hesitate, advocate!

In my recent conversations with nonprofits about the upcoming election, two emotions came up repeatedly: hesitancy and anxiety. I want to acknowledge these emotions we are feeling. Nonprofits have been at the front line working with communities and meeting crises at every turn. In addition, the HR crisis is limiting organizations’ capacities to take on more work. It can be overwhelming when it feels like there鈥檚 so much change that needs to happen, and so little time in between all the other work we do. The seemingly burdensome and complex election rules don鈥檛 help either. 

Even during challenging times, there are still moments and spaces for us to make our voices heard. We encourage every organization to find their role to engage in the upcoming election. 

Whether you are reaching out to candidates, running advocacy campaigns, helping voters get out to the polling stations, or educating the public on issues your communities are facing, you are taking actions, you are sowing seeds. Trust that the seeds you sow will blossom.

ONN will continue to share election advocacy resources with the nonprofit sector as more information is released, including our analysis of all political parties鈥� election platforms.

Written by Candice Zhang, Policy Advisor at ONN.

The 91视频 Election is taking place on June 2, 2022. 

The election period is an opportunity for nonprofits to connect with residents and work together on shared issues and opportunities for collective community impact. This is also a chance for the sector to share the profound impact of nonprofits and charities on our communities and the issues we as a sector are working on across 91视频.

Nonprofits play a vital role in fostering an inclusive democracy. As the bridge between our communities and government, nonprofits engage and amplify community voices, provide unique public policy insight, and hold governments and decision-makers accountable. 

Effective election advocacy does not follow a one-size-fits-all formula.

ONN encourages nonprofits to engage in election advocacy work, share the impact you are having, and talk about the issues your nonprofit and community care about, before, during and after the election. Let鈥檚 not be humble!

ONN’s 91视频 Election Asks:

Communities must be front-and-centre in the upcoming provincial election. It is vital that all parties focus on ensuring the nonprofit sector thrives, so organizations can continue to feed, shelter, heal, inspire, educate and nurture communities across 91视频. 

This election, ONN is calling on all political party leaders to:

1. Support nonprofit workers and volunteers now, and invest in a resilient workforce for the future.
2. Take profit out of care by phasing out for-profit owners/operators in 91视频鈥檚 care systems, and creating an environment to expand nonprofit and public care.
3. Support inclusive local economies through community benefit agreements and by creating an enabling environment for social enterprises and co-operatives.
4. Create a 鈥淗ome in Government鈥� for the nonprofit sector.

A more detailed document with our election asks and solutions is available for download.

Download ONN鈥檚 Election Priorities

ONN’s Party Platform Analysis

The four major parties of 91视频 have released their respective platforms to the public for review. In ONN鈥檚 2022 platform analysis, we鈥檝e broken down each party’s policies into sixteen sub sectors from housing and income-security to climate change and anti-racism. We have also analyzed these platforms to see how well they align with our election asks as well as our policy priorities. 

The NDP, Liberals, and Greens have all promised to raise the minimum wage to $16 an hour, along with other big promises like phasing out for-profit care, repealing Bill 124, and legislating 10 paid sick days for all. We鈥檝e also seen promises from all four major parties to raise 91视频 Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates and build more long-term care beds. All of these policies could be game-changers for the sector to have stronger policy and investments for our work in communities over the next four years.

But there is still work to be done. Organizations across the sector are calling for multi-year core funding, and investment in a sector-wide labour force strategy. A home in government would greatly help to break down silos with the 16+ ministries we engage. 

Our full analysis is available for download below.

Read ONN鈥檚 Party Platform Analysis

Election Podcast Mini-Series:

Episode 0 –  91视频 Election 2022: Nonprofits and collective advocacy

This first episode of our election mini-series gives a sneak peek of fascinating stories of how nonprofits are getting innovative as they work together to get the attention of parties and candidates on critical community issues and solutions for Ontarians.

Host: Sarah Matsushita, Director of Communications at ONN

Episode 1 –  Coalition building through Queer Vote 91视频

Queer Vote 91视频 is an historic coalition of 2SLBTQI+ organizations with an action plan to ensure queer and trans issues and solutions are on the agenda this election. Join us as the coalition鈥檚 co-founder Fae Johnstone shares the behind-the-scenes of how one tweet got it all started, and why we speak better and louder when there’s more of us in the room.
Guest Biography: Fae Johnstone is executive director and co-owner of Wisdom2Action (W2A) and based on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin territory in Ottawa, 91视频. She is an experienced community engagement expert, diversity and inclusion consultant, and project manager. Over her past two years working with W2A, Fae has led local, provincial, and national initiatives focused on 2SLGBTQ+ community health and wellness, youth mental health, meaningful community engagement, and gender-based violence. 

Resource:

Episode 2: Climate collectives harnessing the power of community

This episode jumps into the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and how the climate movement in 91视频 stays agile. Our guest Tim Gray of Environmental Defence shares why the election window is such an important time to advocate for policy, the message collectives are hoping to get across to politicians this cycle, and the work that comes after election day.
Guest biography: Tim grew up on the shores of Lake Huron and acquired his love of nature there. He has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing environmental policy change efforts. These have included major shifts in land conservation, forest practices and climate change. Starting out his career as a biologist and policy analyst, Tim has spent a lot of time learning skills that move complex environmental issues toward resolution.

Resources: ;

Episode 3: Engaging Black communities during elections and beyond

The next provincial government is hopefully going to lead us to the other side of the pandemic. But are parties bringing an anti-Black racism lens to their policy commitments? Velma Morgan of Operation Black Vote Canada joins us to talk about why it matters to bring party hopefuls to Black communities to hear issues directly, and why all nonprofits need to get political.
Guest biography: Velma Morgan has experience in creating and implementing public policies and programs in the 91视频 provincial government. For over 10 years she advised Cabinet Ministers in 5 Ministries. Her comprehensive knowledge of government and public policy processes allows her to quickly decipher and analyze complex issues and positively contributes to a solution. As an advocate for gender and cultural representation and inclusion in government, she ensured that the voices of marginalized communities were reflected in the government’s policies and communications.

To hear more of our pod cast visit Digging In.

Election advocacy resources:

Blogs related to advocacy:

On November 4, the 91视频 government released its Fall Economic Statement, 鈥�,鈥� alongside a mini-budget implementation bill, . The government is focusing on 鈥減rotecting our progress,鈥� 鈥渂uilding 91视频,鈥� and 鈥渨orking for workers,鈥� to 鈥渇ight the COVID-19 pandemic and promote economic recovery.鈥� This translates into targeted investments in healthcare, physical infrastructure, and skills development.

ONN is encouraged to see investments in increasing mental health supports for frontline health and long-term care workers, improving conditions in congregate settings to combat COVID-19, and expanding the care economy (namely long-term care and home care), including its workforce. However, the Fall Economic Statement squanders the opportunity to take immediate action to protect progress, build 91视频, and work for workers. There is no mention of making permanent the temporary wage enhancement for essential frontline workers to recruit and retain them for years to come, nor mention of a federal child care bilateral agreement. Neither is there another round of small business (and nonprofit) support grants, something our recent sector survey suggested would help with the recovery.

The province鈥檚 mini-budget does not reflect the critical role nonprofits play in an equitable recovery for 91视频, as partners of government. There are missed opportunities in prioritizing nonprofit and public sector driven care services and dedicating supports for nonprofits as they rebuild the communities they serve post-pandemic. The mini-budget mentions the sector in passing, and makes only a vague commitment that the Province will 鈥渨ork to identify opportunities to support the charities sector and expand its impact for people.鈥�
This Fall Economic Statement focuses attention on infrastructure but fails to recognize the value of social infrastructure (such as licensed child care, community-based arts and recreation groups, and nonprofit housing) and misses the mark on how and where investments are really needed. For an equitable pandemic recovery, 91视频 needs transformative measures that address the deep systemic challenges Ontarians face. Public dollars are used most efficiently when they are invested in social infrastructure that is public and nonprofit driven, which benefits both the economy and the well-being of Ontarians, rather than shareholders.
New announcements impacting nonprofits

• $12.4M over two years, starting in 2021鈥�22, to continue rapid access to existing and expanded mental health and addictions supports for health and long鈥恡erm care workers across the province.
• $548.5M over three years to expand home and community care.
• $8.9M in 2021鈥�22 for COVID鈥�19 supports (personal protective equipment, ventilation filters etc.) in congregate care settings.
• $10M new, for a total of $20M over 3 years, for Residential School burial site identification and commemoration.
• $1.6M over three years to create a database of diverse, skilled volunteers who will be screened and receive training to help respond to emergencies. ONN will be connecting with nonprofit leaders in volunteer engagement and crisis response to support their involvement.
• Temporary 91视频 Staycation Tax Credit for 2022 to encourage 91视频 families to explore 91视频 to help the tourism, hospitality and culture sectors recover. While this measure does not directly benefit arts and culture groups, it is anticipated that the tax incentive will help ticket sales in this sector.
• $22M over three years to implement an 91视频鈥恗ade technology that will integrate the clinical information between hospitals and the long鈥恡erm care sector to streamline re鈥恆dmissions and share information with families. ONN is interested in seeing how administrative data sharing between sectors can inform data and evaluation practices across the nonprofit sector.
• Implement a new French Language Services Strategy, including a modernization of the French Language Services Act, to improve access to French-language services. This move, , includes changes that could affect nonprofits that fall under the broad definition of in the Act, such as children鈥檚 aid societies, long-term care homes, and others that provide services on behalf of the 91视频 government.
• $5M for a new Racialized and Indigenous Support for Entrepreneurs (RAISE) grant that will provide support for women entrepreneurs and Indigenous, Black and other racialized people. ONN has made inquiries as to whether this will support nonprofit social enterprises.
• Establishing a 鈥淐entre of Realty Excellence” (CORE), creating one holistic sight line across the public sector for the 91视频 government to determine priority surplus properties aligned with key initiatives, including building long-term care.
• Interestingly, the Nov. 3 of $5 million for Indigenous and emerging artists through the 91视频 Arts Council was not mentioned in the mini-budget. This funding for the hard-hit arts sector begins to build back the cuts to arts funding in 91视频 implemented in 2018-19 and 2019-20, including a $10 million hit to the OAC鈥檚 budget and the .

Overall program and capital spending
The economic outlook is much rosier than forecast in the spring Budget.

• In 2021鈥�22, the government is projecting a deficit of $21.5 billion, $11.6 billion (35 per cent) lower than the deficit forecast in the .
• 91视频鈥檚 real GDP (after taking inflation into account) is projected to rise 4.3 per cent in 2021 and 4.5 per cent in 2022.

Program spending and wages may not keep up with inflation or population growth.

• Program spending for the current fiscal year is now expected to be 4.2 per cent higher than last year. That 鈥渟pending,鈥� however, includes a $3.95 billion to 鈥淐OVID鈥�19 Time-Limited Funding and Extraordinary Contingencies鈥� compared to 鈥檚 budget. This fund is actually rather than an allocated program spending line so we have yet to see how (or whether) this will be allocated.
  • Inflation is expected to be 3.1 per cent for the fiscal year. Meanwhile, those nonprofit workers subject to Bill 124 wage control legislation have increases capped at one per cent annually, exacerbating recruitment and retention efforts in our women-majority sector.
  • As of spring 2021, the Ministry of Finance population growth to be 2.1 per cent this year.
• With time-limited COVID-related funding tapering off, overall program spending is expected to fall from $176.1B this year and $176.4B next year to 175.6B in 2023-24. That said, (non-COVID) Health Sector spending is budgeted to increase 2.4 per cent from this year to next; Children and Social Services will rise 1.1 per cent and the Justice Sector will remain flat at $4.8B for the next two years. Taking into account both inflation and expected population growth, these forecasts could reflect real spending restraint.

Capital infrastructure in social services is set to decline next year.

• On the infrastructure investment side, the ten-year plan for capital spending has been increased by $2.7B to $148.1B, with an updated plan to spend $17.1B in the current fiscal year.
• Health and 鈥淥ther鈥� sectors see an increase in capital investment from the spring budget, while Social Sector infrastructure spending sees no boost from the spring and will decline by over 50 per cent next year, as first revealed in the spring budget.

What’s in Bill 143, the mini-budget implementation bill

• amends the Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act.
• amends the Election Finances Act with respect to third-party spending – but only to remove the penalties for media companies that sell third-party advertising space to groups that are exceeding the allowable spending threshold. There are no changes that would benefit nonprofits that participate in election advocacy involving paid advertising.
• implements the increase to the minimum wage.
• amends the Far North Act with respect to Ring of Fire resource extraction, establishing a joint body that would play an advisory role with respect to land use planning in the Far North and criteria for Indigenous participation. It also the section of the Far North Act that regulated resource extraction in areas not subject to a community-based land use plan.
• creates a new Ministry of Francophone Affairs and amends the French Language Services Act.
• Various schedules provide for tax changes that may affect nonprofits, including property tax relief and Employer Health Tax (late payment fines) provisions.

Reactions from opposition parties, media and industry
states that the Fall Economic Statement has no help for everyday people, while the similarly highlights how it leaves millions of Ontarians out in the cold, especially women, parents, and children. The urges the current government to focus on building a better and more livable future for Ontarians rather than paving highways across 91视频鈥檚 prime farmland and greenbelt.
The comments on the lack of relief supports for small businesses. Media such as and the highlight the top things the public needs to know about the mini-budget, while the comments on the tensions between debt and growth.

Nonprofit Sector Reactions:

• applauds expansion of home and community care and programs to expand the care workforce, but urges the government to do more to address wage disparities in the sector.
• on how the Fall Economic Statement left a lot to be desired.
• applauds new funds to improve congregate settings vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission.
• 91视频 Coalition for Better Childcare and the were disappointed the statement did not include new funding to address the needs of early childhood educators or a signed child care agreement with the federal government.
• is concerned about spending on highways that may encourage more car commuting, and the housing task force that may provide cover to develop precious farmland and green space.
• The applauds the attention to economic development and immigrant entrepreneurs, but would have liked to see support for enterprises that specifically create a better 91视频.

It is important for democracy that there are rules to limit the influence of big spenders on the political process. At the same time, it is vitally important that regulations for third parties do not overreach or have unintended consequences, such as preventing community voices from being heard.

Public benefit nonprofits are the bridge between our communities and government. One of their key roles is public policy advocacy, where communities share their experiences with government policies and programs to improve them. Without an engaged nonprofit sector, it would be much harder for the government to know what people want and need. 

Elections are a critical time to engage people in the process of developing policy. For a healthy democracy, we need people and their community-based nonprofits to participate in the election process. 

ONN strongly advocates that public benefit nonprofits should be exempt from third-party advertising rules as long as their communications remain nonpartisan.

We support the principle of regulating third-party advertising around elections and acknowledge that getting it right is complex. It is important to recognize, however, that community-based nonprofits are different from political action groups that are mainly active only around elections and exist almost exclusively to influence voter behaviour. 

Bill 254 was recently passed by the 91视频 Legislature, enacting stricter rules for organizations that engage in 鈥減re-election advertising.鈥� These rules, however, have unintended consequences for community-based nonprofits and charities, increasing the administrative burden associated with participating in the democratic process and risking a new advocacy chill. 

The Attorney General has characterized this bill as clamping down on . Despite numerous calls and letters to the Minister of the Attorney General and a presentation to the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, the concerns of the nonprofit sector were ignored. The 91视频 government has yet to acknowledge the impact of these rules on community-governed nonprofits. 

Here鈥檚 what we recommended to the 91视频 Government:

• Amend Bill 254 in order to increase the threshold for 鈥渢hird-party advertisers鈥� to register and report.
• Clarify language around 鈥渃ollusion鈥� to take into account the legitimate coalition-based advocacy that nonprofits engage in.
• Lighten the administrative burden for nonprofits by enabling the use of existing audited financial statements in reporting. 

The 91视频 Superior Court of Justice struck down provisions of Bill 254 on June 8, 2021.  Justice Edward Morgan said in his ruling, 鈥渆lections belong to the people and not governments or political parties. Independent voices need to be heard so that important issues can be discussed during elections and not just those chosen by politicians and corporate media interests.鈥�

Nonpartisan advocacy is not third-party political advertising. There are ways the 91视频 government can reduce the influence of money in politics without silencing community voices.