How political influencers avoid election rules, transparency and consequences

Though many third parties are active year-round, Elections Canada’s financial disclosure requirements only apply during an election period, which lasts between 37 days and 51 days, when an election doesn’t take place on a fixed date.

“There's no pre-election disclosure or registration,” Conacher said. “So, we actually have a worse dark money problem in Canada than they do in the U.S.”

“We don't regulate spending in between elections and have any disclosures. Whereas in the U.S. during election year, they do actually have that disclosure,” he said.

Canada Strong and Proud spent up to $581,044 on political ads placed on Meta platforms in 2025. Only about $290,000 was spent during the official federal campaign period and is subject to reporting requirements. To date, the sources of just $750 in contributions have been disclosed to Elections Canada.