2022 GPC Leadership Contest Rules

Notice: Fundraising for the $1,000 non-refundable application fee and to cover costs associated with submitting a complete application may be completed at 100% level without submitting a 50% contest support fee. This applies to exact costs, and any surplus funds raised must be forwarded to the GPC within 10 days of confirmation of their registration by Elections Canada with the exemption of loans (see section 12.10) and own contributions (see section 12.9). Fundraising beyond the required amount to pay the application fee and costs associated with submitting a complete application is not permitted. There will be a small grace amount of $1,000 permitted in consideration of the fact that it may not be possible to fundraise the exact amount of funds required.

Motion: With immediate effect consolidate Campaign Round One and Campaign Round Two into one, single, campaign round with a voting period to begin at 12:00 PM Eastern Time on November 12, 2022 and end at 3:30 PM Eastern Time on November 19, 2022. All effectual deadlines in the Leadership Contest Rules to be realigned to reflect this change (Ie: New member cut off deadlines for voting “All Party Members in good standing as of 11:59 PM Pacific Time on October 19th, 2022 are eligible to vote.”

PREFACE The purpose of the Leadership Contest Committee (LCC) is to develop, coordinate and oversee the 2022 GPC Leadership Contest. To learn the lessons of the 2020 contest, the LCC conducted dozens of interviews and consultations with past contestants, staff, and others with experience from the last leadership contest, to assess what could and what needed to be improved to create a more positive experience for participants, and a better contest.

The LCC’s goal was to design a leadership contest that would incorporate, in both fundamental and exemplary ways, the GPC principles and values, including equity, grassroots organization, and our collaborative approach to how we work together.

Also, central to our approach is the critical need to remain within the boundaries of our current financial and staff constraints.

The contestant eligibility requirements have been chosen to reflect the LCC’s goal of creating simple, objective (as much as possible) criteria and low barriers to contest entry. To reduce subjectivity, the LCC tried to choose criteria that are simple and, as far as possible, “binary.” However, in order to protect the brand and image of our party, individuals whose past acts would be regarded by general agreement as detrimental to the Party, must be ineligible to run for the position of Leader. The Members’ Code of Conduct is the source by which this standard is measured.

An important addition to previous eligibility requirements is the requirement for contestants to meet a level of proficiency in both official languages. This requirement will apply to all Applicants except Indigenous persons.

Another new feature of the 2022 Leadership Contest will be that 50% of funds raised by contestants will be pooled and used for (i) common campaign events, and, (ii) contestant support. Funds may also be used to cover other contest costs including general Party operations.

The Leadership Contest is structured into three phases: the Pre-Campaign Phase; Campaign Round One; and Campaign Round Two. The Pre-Campaign Phase begins with the announcement of these Rules on June 28, 2022. The Leadership Contest was registered with Elections Canada (EC) on May 24, 2022 with an end date of November 19, 2022.

Campaign Round One will begin with the announcement and introduction to GPC membership of the approved (and Elections Canada-registered) Contestants. Campaign Round One will include both individual campaigning and a number of common events that will allow members to get to know the Contestants and for the

Contestants to demonstrate their leadership skills. As much as possible, the common events will promote non-adversarial competition.

If there are more than 5 Contestants, Campaign Round One will end with a preliminary vote by members. The top 4 Contestants will continue into Campaign Round Two.

Campaign Round Two will take the remaining Contestants through more common events where their leadership skills can be further explored and tested. At the end of Campaign Round Two a second, final vote will be held, ending on November 19, 2022. Our new Leader will be announced on the same day.

In order to give all Contestants equal campaign time, all approved Contestants will be announced simultaneously on August 31, 2022. Campaigning will be limited until all successful Applicants have been approved and announced. Fundraising according to EC rules will be only allowed in order to complete the application process.

RULES

1. DEFINITIONS

Applicant: a person who has applied to be a contestant in the Leadership Contest, prior to their application being approved.
Approved Applicant: an Applicant whose application to run in the Leadership Contest has been approved, but who has not yet registered with Elections Canada pursuant to sections 478.2 and 478.3 of the Canada Elections Act.
Campaign team: those persons working, either as volunteers or paid staff, for and under the direction of a Contestant to support the Contestant’s campaign for leadership.
Common Event: has the meaning given in section 20.1
Complaint: has the meaning given in section 5.4
Contestant: a person whose application to run in the Leadership Contest has been approved and who has registered with Elections Canada pursuant to sections 478.2 and 478.3 of the Canada Elections Act.
Declaration: has the meaning given to it in section 7.2.5
Leadership Contest: 2022 contest to become the Leader of the Green Party of Canada, commencing on May 24, 2022 and ending on announcement of the winning Contestant.
LCA: Leadership Contest Arbiter established per section 4.2
LCC: Leadership Contest Committee established per section 4.1
Party/GPC: Green Party of Canada.
Request: has the meaning given in section 5.1.
Rules: these 2022 Leadership Contest Rules.
Violation: has the meaning given in section 5.4.
Voters List: list of GPC members provided to Contestants pursuant to section 14.
Other words have their ordinary meaning or the meaning given to them in the Canada Elections Act.

2. CANADA ELECTIONS ACT

Leadership Contest Applicants, Approved Applicants, Contestants and their Financial Agents are:
1. Subject to the Canada Elections Act;
2. Responsible for ensuring that their Leadership Contest campaigns adhere to the Canada Elections Act.

3. GREEN PARTY OF CANADA CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Leadership Contest Applicants, Approved Applicants, Contestants and their Financial Agents are:
1. Subject to the GPC Constitution, Bylaws and Members’ Code of Conduct;
2. Responsible for ensuring that their campaigns, published campaign materials and individual campaign team members’ conduct adhere to the GPC Constitution, Bylaws and Members’ Code of Conduct.
In case of any discrepancy between these Rules and the GPC Constitution or Bylaws, the GPC Constitution or Bylaws will prevail.

4.LEADERSHIP CONTEST COMMITTEE AND LEADERSHIP CONTEST ARBITER

The Leadership Contest Committee (“LCC”)
1. is a committee of Federal Council whose members are appointed by Federal Council;
2. will act as a steering committee to design the Leadership Contest process, present the Leadership Contest process and Rules to Federal Council for approval, and oversee the smooth implementation of the Leadership Contest;
3. may direct GPC staff, within the limitations of work needed for the Leadership Contest, the Party’s Collective Agreement and without any disciplinary authority, and volunteers assigned to the LCC during the Leadership Contest;
4. will promote the Leadership Contest process and Rules to interested parties and monitor Leadership Contest milestones;
5. will organize or oversee the organization of Common Events (section 20).
The Leadership Contest Arbiter (“LCA”)
1. is authorized by Federal Council to interpret and enforce compliance with these Leadership Contest Rules;
2. will receive, consider and decide on complaints alleging violation of the Rules;
3. will receive, consider and decide on the appeal by any Applicant whose application to enter the Leadership Contest was disapproved.
The LCA will be comprised of three members, appointed by Federal Council, who collectively will provide:
1. English-French bilingualism (at least one LCA member must be fluently bilingual);
2. familiarity with Elections Canada rules; and
3. legal knowledge.
LCA members must remain neutral and act impartially throughout the Leadership Contest.
Members of the LCC may not simultaneously be members of the LCA.
All three LCA members shall be required for quorum.
If LCA members are unable to reach consensus, decisions shall be by majority vote.

5. LEADERSHIP CONTEST RULE INTERPRETATION AND COMPLIANCE

The LCA will respond to requests for explanation or clarification (a “Request”) of the Leadership Contest Rules and, acting in good faith with Contestants, their campaign teams and GPC staff and volunteers, provide directions in order to avoid Violations or the need to issue a Rule violation ruling.
Requests must be made in writing and submitted by email to the LCA.
The LCA, when responding to a Request, will communicate both the question and the LCA’s answer to all Leadership Contestants simultaneously by email and post the questions and answers on the relevant web page.
Any Party member in good standing may submit a complaint (“Complaint”) alleging a violation of the Leadership Contest Rules (“Violation”) by a Contestant, campaign team, staff, the LCC or a volunteer, using the Complaint form prepared by LCC for this purpose, and the LCA will receive, consider and decide on the Complaint.
Complaints are subject to the following requirements:
1. A Complaint must be made by a person with direct knowledge of or who possesses evidence of the facts on which the Complaint is based.
2. The Complainant must identify themselves. They may not submit their Complaint anonymously.
3. The Complaint must:
  1. contain an account of the alleged Violation,
  2. identify the Rule alleged to be violated,
  3. show how the facts interact with the Rule to create a Violation, and
  4. include, or provide the location of, evidence of the facts on which the Complaint is based.
When a Complaint is received, the LCA:
1. shall determine whether the Complaint was properly submitted in accordance with sections 5.4 and 5.5;
2. will not, if the Complaint is deficient, correct the Complaint but will notify the Complainant, identifying the deficiency;
3. will, if the Complaint is not deficient, to support the reliability and fairness of LCA’s consideration of the Complaint, seek further information from the person who is the subject of the complaint, and any other person if appropriate or necessary;
4. within 7 days of the Complaint being received by the LCA, consider the Complaint and decide whether there has been a Violation, or advise the Complainant of the reason that the LCA is unable to decide on the Complaint within that time.
Based on its analysis of the facts and of the Rule(s) alleged to have been violated, the LCA will decide whether there has been a Violation. Once the LCA has made a decision, it will notify the Complainant and the person whose conduct was the subject of the Complaint of its decision and the reasons for it.
If the LCA determines that a Violation has occurred, it will initiate a resolution process, which may include imposition of a penalty.
If the LCA determines that a Violation was committed by a person who is required to act impartially pursuant to Section 21, the LCA will inform the person’s governing Party unit.
If the LCA determines that a Violation was committed by a Leadership Contestant, their Financial Agent, or a member of the Contestant’s campaign team acting under their direction, penalties may include any of the following, as the LCA decides is appropriate:
1. the Contestant’s campaign team not receiving further updates to the Voters List;
2. the Contestant being excluded from one or more subsequent Common Events;
3. a fine to the Contestant’s campaign of up to $2,500, but not more than the amount that would otherwise have been transferred to the Contestant’s campaign as their share of contributions received, for the two weeks immediately preceding the LCA’s decision;
4. temporary suspension of the Contestant’s campaign for a period set by the LCA;
5. expulsion of a Contestant from the Leadership Contest.
Decisions of the LCA on Complaints are final.
If the LCA determines that a Violation occurred, the following information will be posted on the GPC website: the name of the violator; the section of the Rules violated; and steps taken under 5.8, 5.9. or 5.10.
Details of a Violation will not be published if doing so would breach a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement or any federal or other applicable privacy law.
Details of a Complaint may only be shared by the LCA with the Complainant, with the individual who is the subject of the Complaint and, if the individual is a member of a Contestant’s campaign team, with that Contestant. LCA members must otherwise keep confidential all details of all Complaints and of the LCA’s deliberations.
All LCA deliberations will be recorded. Such records will be destroyed six months after the Leadership Contest end date, except if required to be kept for any legal proceeding.

6. CONTESTANT ELIGIBILITY

An individual is eligible to be a Contestant if the individual:
1. completes the Leadership Contest application (see Section 7);
2. will have been a Party Member in good standing, as of the date of Contest applications closing, for at least three months, or one month if the individual can demonstrate that their profession or employment prohibited them from being a member of a political party;
3. is eligible for election to the House of Commons under the Canada Elections Act as of the Leadership Contest end date;
4. has no debt owing to the Party or GPC Fund;
5. has no open litigation against the Party or GPC Fund;
6. has not made a declaration of insolvency or bankruptcy and does not remain undischarged;
7. has not participated in the writing and approval of these Rules as a member of Federal Council or the LCC.
8. is confirmed to be proficient in speaking and understanding speech in both official languages such that they can carry out their duties in both languages. Indigenous Applicants are exempted from this rule. The testing process and required level of proficiency will be designated by GPC and detailed in the Contest Guide.
9. has not demonstrated a pattern, or committed a single egregious act, within reasonable recency, of evidenced and documented violations of the GPC Members’ Code of Conduct, such as inciting or committing violence, racism or abuse, as assessed under section 9.5;
10. has not engaged in a pattern of public advocacy of positions contrary to the Global Green Principles;
11. is not a member of and does not work for another federal party;
12. has not committed acts that could reasonably be expected to, if known, result in civil or criminal action against themselves, the GPC or GPC Fund;
13. has not directed GPC or GPC Fund resources toward another federal party;
14. consents to be bound by these Rules and any applicable GPC or Elections Canada rules;
15. attests that they have read the draft Leader remuneration contract;
16. consents to third party vetting including: Criminal Record Check, Credit Bureau Check, Employment and Reference Verification Check, Social Media Search.
No Applicant who meets the eligibility criteria listed in 6.1 and the requirements in sections 7, 8, and 9 may be refused entry to the Leadership Contest.
If, at any time during the Leadership Contest, the LCC becomes aware that a Contestant may not meet the eligibility criteria listed in 6.1, the Contestant will be subject to a re-assessment of their eligibility by the LCC and may be removed from the Contest.
No Contestant who meets and maintains the eligibility criteria listed in 6.1 throughout the Leadership Contest may be removed from the Leadership Contest except pursuant to section 5.10.5.

7. LEADERSHIP CONTEST APPLICATIONS, NOMINATIONS

Leadership Contest applications must be submitted to the LCC between June 28, 2022 (12:00 AM Pacific Time) and August 5, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time). Leadership Contest applications from members of equity seeking groups must be submitted to the LCC between June 28, 2022 (12:00 AM Pacific Time) and August 14, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time)"
To apply to be a Leadership Contestant, an individual must submit to the LCC:
1. the application form approved by the LCC, fully completed.
2. Nominations by at least one hundred (100) Party members, including at least twenty (20) Young Greens, using the nomination form provided with the application form. Nominators must be Party Members in good standing when the application is submitted to the LCC. At least 20 of the Nominators must live in a region (as defined in GPC Bylaw 3) other than the region where the Applicant resides.
3. A photo, a link to the Applicant’s campaign website, links to their social media pages/accounts, and a contestant profile not exceeding 350 words in English or 425 words in French, which will be posted to the Party’s website after the Party’s announcement of Contestants. A Contestant may update their photo or profile during the Leadership Contest, not more often than once every 14 days.
4. The Application Fee pursuant to section 8.
5. A declaration regarding the Applicant’s record of public statements or announcements of any kind, or any other act that might reasonably be perceived as being detrimental to the Party, including documentation of any possible violations of the Members’ Code of Conduct (the “Declaration”), together with any explanatory statements or material that the Applicant wishes the LCC to consider.
6. An affirmation that the Contestant will abide by the GPC Privacy Policy with regards to the Voters List (section 14).
An Applicant will be notified by email if their application contains errors or omissions, and if so notified will have 48 hours from the time of notification to submit a corrected application or provide the missing material or information.
Applicants will be notified when their completed application has been received. An Applicant so notified may publicly announce that they have applied to enter the contest, but may not announce whether their application has been approved prior to the joint announcement of the final list of Contestants described in Rule 9.9.
Prior to the joint announcement of the final list of Contestants described in Rule 9.9, no fundraising or campaign spending by Applicants or Approved Applicants is permitted beyond that required to pay the application fee laid out in Rule 8.1 and to cover costs associated with submitting a complete application as laid out in Section 7.

8. NON-REFUNDABLE APPLICATION FEE

Applicants must pay to the GPC Fund, at the time of submitting their application to enter the Leadership Contest, a non-refundable Application Fee of $1,000.

9. APPLICATION PROCESSING

Applicants will be notified that their application has been approved or rejected on August 20, 2022. Equity Seeking Applicants submitting an application between August 5, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time) and August 14, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time) will be notified of their application status by August 29, 2022.
An Applicant must remain available from the time they submit their application, until the Applicant is notified that their application is approved or disapproved, to answer questions that may arise during the LCC’s review of their application. Failure to respond to information requests in a timely manner may lead to disapproval of an application.
The LCC will organize language proficiency testing for Applicants to ensure a consistent testing regime. Testing will be made available to Applicants between July 11, 2022 and August 15, 2022. Equity Seeking Applicants may complete their language testing until August 18, 2022.
All Declarations made pursuant to section 7.2.5 will be verified by LCC through a third party vetting firm, and LCC’s own research using staff or volunteers. If there is a discrepancy between any statement contained in a Declaration and information obtained as a result of LCC’s verification, the Applicant will be contacted to allow the Applicant to amend the Declaration or provide an explanation. If the Applicant does not amend their Declaration or provide an explanation, the evidenced and documented results of the verification process will be considered in the further evaluation of the application by LCC.
The LCC will assess and decide whether an Applicant’s history of Members’ Code of Conduct violations (sections 7.2.5 and 9.4) make the Applicant ineligible to enter the Contest. An Applicant will be ineligible to enter the Contest if they have committed an egregious act, or engaged in a pattern of conduct, in violation of the Members’ Code of Conduct, unless exempted by section 9.6. A pattern means at least three documented and evidenced instances (whereby an “instance” can be an entire online or in-person communication thread or brief series of connected acts, even if it contains multiple violations) of violations of the Members’ Code of Conduct.
An Applicant is not made ineligible to be a Contestant if the Applicant has constructively dealt with their Members’ Code of Conduct violations, leading to a resolution of the issue with affected parties.
If the LCC decides that an Applicant does not fulfill the eligibility requirements, the LCC will notify the Applicant and provide reasons for their decision. An Applicant may appeal the decision to the LCA within 48 hours of being notified. The LCA will make and announce its decision within 7 days of receiving an appeal. All decisions of the LCA are final.
GPC will not publicize the names of Applicants whose applications are disapproved.
The Party will announce approved Contestants from August 31, 2022 until September 9, 2022.
Contestants’ names, profiles, and photos as well as links to the contestants’ web pages and social media accounts will be posted to the GPC website within two business days of announcement of Contestants.
If at any time during the contest the LCC or LCA are made aware of information that was omitted from the initial application that may have caused the Applicant to not be approved, the LCC may, at its discretion, within 7 days of receiving such information, order a follow-up assessment of eligibility of the Contestant.
If the LCC orders a follow-up eligibility assessment:
1. The Leadership Contestant will be informed in writing that a follow-up eligibility assessment has been ordered, and its duration.
2. During the follow-up eligibility assessment, the Leadership Contestant may continue to campaign.
3. The Leadership Contestant must make themselves available during the follow-up eligibility assessment to provide the LCC information as requested.
4. For privacy and fairness, information on the follow-up eligibility assessment will be kept confidential to the parties involved during the follow-up assessment process.
5. If the LCC decides that a Contestant does not meet the eligibility criteria, the LCC may, after having heard the Contestant, remove the Contestant from the Contest.
6. A Contestant who is removed from the Contest will be immediately notified of the decision in writing. A Contestant may appeal the decision to the LCA within 48 hours of being notified. The LCA will make and announce its decision within 7 days of receiving an appeal. All decisions of the LCA are final.
7. In the case of revocation of the Applicant's approval, that decision and its reasons (ie. an unmet eligibility requirement) will be posted to the GPC website while respecting legal confidentiality requirements.
8. If the follow-up eligibility assessment does not produce any further pertinent information, the Contestant will be informed of this decision within 24 hours of that determination and no further action is undertaken.

10. OTHER FUNCTIONARY ROLES IN PARTY

Any Approved Applicant who is a member of Federal Council, Young Greens of Canada Council, Shadow Cabinet, the GPC Fund Board or holds any other office or is a member of any standing or ad hoc Committee of the Party, must resign their position within 48 hours of approval of their application and prior to registering as a Leadership Contestant with Elections Canada.

11. WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LEADERSHIP CONTEST

A Leadership Contestant may voluntarily withdraw from the Leadership Contest by informing the LCC in writing of their decision.
Any fees that are due to the Party by a Contestant at the time of the Contestant’s withdrawal shall remain due until paid.
Any outstanding campaign expenses at the time of a Contestant’s withdrawal shall be the responsibility of the Contestant, as set out in the Canada Elections Act.
Any surplus of funds in a Contestant’s campaign bank account, after payment of any campaign debts, must be transferred to the Party within 30 days of the Contestant’s withdrawal.
Notice of the withdrawal of a Contestant will be posted on the GPC website without detail except date of withdrawal and the Contestant’s name.

12. CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING, LOANS, AND EXPENSES

All monetary contributions to individual Contestants must be given as “directed contributions” to Contestants, except for Contestants’ own contributions and loans.
A page on the GPC website will be available for members to contribute to Contestants’ campaigns. Contributors must use this page, or contribute by cheque (cheques must be made out to “Green Party of Canada Fund” with the name of the Contestant in the memo field), or by cash (cash must include a letter with contact information of the contributor and the request for the funds to be directed to the Contestant), whereby the campaign must forward cheques and cash to the GPC. All cheques and cash contribution letters must be scanned and the scans must be emailed and the cheques and cash contribution letters must be mailed to GPC Fund within 7 days of receipt. GPC will acknowledge the mailed-in documents on receipt.
All directed contributions are subject to a fifty percent (50%) contest support fee. Those funds will be dedicated to common contest costs (events, joint emails, etc.), contestant support and general administration until the contest is completed. 50% of total directed contributions to any contestant will be transferred to that contestant.
50% of all monetary contributions received by the Leadership Contestant prior to their registration with Elections Canada as a Leadership Contestant must be transferred to the Green Party of Canada Fund within 10 days of confirmation of their registration by Elections Canada with the exemption of loans (see section 12.10) and own contributions (see section 12.9).
Monetary transfers to Contestants’ campaigns will be made on a weekly basis.
Mail-in directed contributions will be transferred within 10 business days of their receipt at GPC office.
Contestants will receive the names, available contact information and donation amounts for monetary contributions received by GPC for the Contestant, on a weekly basis.
If a person’s application to enter the Leadership Contest is disapproved, or if a Contestant is removed or withdraws from the Contest, then the donors to that Contestant’s campaign whose contributions have not yet been transferred to GPC Fund, must be notified and these monetary contributions must either be transferred to GPC Fund or refunded to the donors who made the contributions, with auditable records of those refunds being supplied to GPC Fund within 30 days of the person’s non-approval, withdrawal or removal as the case may be.
Applicants and Contestants may not contribute more than $2,000 to their own campaigns. Own contributions are not subject to the contest support fee (section 12.3).
Applicants and Contestants may not borrow, from themselves or others, more than $2,000 in total to finance their campaigns. Own contributions are not subject to the contest support fee (section 12.3).

13. APPOINTMENT AND DUTIES OF THE FINANCIAL AGENT

Every Contestant must appoint a Financial Agent in accordance with the Canada Elections Act.
For the purposes of compliance, communications of the LCC or the LCA with a Contestant’s Financial Agent will be considered communication between the LCC or the LCA and the Leadership Contestant.
Pursuant to and in compliance with section 478.72 of the Canada Elections Act, the Financial Agent will open a bank account to be used exclusively for the Contestant’s campaign.
If a Financial Agent resigns or is removed prior to completion of their duties, the Contestant must immediately notify the LCC and Elections Canada.
It is the responsibility of the Contestant to replace a Financial Agent who resigns or who otherwise fails to complete the Financial Agent’s duties under these Rules and the Canada Elections Act.
Any debts incurred by a Contestant are the responsibility of the Leadership Contestant and their Financial Agent. The GPC will not take responsibility for any such debts, including when a Leadership Contestant withdraws or is eliminated from the Contest, or is elected Leader.

14. VOTERS LIST

Contestants will receive an electronic, up-to-date Voters List within 24 hours of the announcement of Contestants on August 31, 2022 or within 24 hours of being announced.
The first Voters List provided to Contestants will include all GPC members in good standing, and members who are not in good standing because their membership fees have not been paid, for up to 12 months of arrears.
The Voters List will be provided to Contestants as a spreadsheet and contain for each voter, the person’s name, phone number if available, address, electoral district, membership start/end date(s) and preferred language of communication. Voter email addresses will not be provided to Contestants.
Contestants will receive a final Voters List for Campaign Round One voting on September 15, 2022. This Voters List will include only members eligible to vote in that round.
Contestants who have not withdrawn or been eliminated from the Leadership Contest will receive a final Voters List on October 20, 2022. This Voters List will only include eligible voters.
Voters Lists may only be used by Leadership Contestants and their campaign teams during the Leadership Contest and for the purposes of the Leadership Contest. Contestants must take all reasonable measures to ensure that they and members of their campaign team keep information in the Voters List confidential, in accordance with the GPC Privacy Policy.
A Contestant who has withdrawn or been eliminated from the Leadership Contest must promptly destroy or return to GPC all paper and electronic copies of the Voters List. All Contestants must destroy or return to GPC all copies of the Voters List by December 5, 2022.
If a Contestant is eliminated in Campaign Round One, they may not use the Voters List for any purpose after the close of Campaign Round One voting. If a Contestant remains in the Leadership Contest after Round One Voting, they may not use the Voters List for any purpose after the close of Campaign Round Two voting.

15. USE OF GVOTE

Contestants and their campaign teams may not use GVote or information previously obtained from GVote for any Contest purpose.

16. VOTING ELIGIBILITY AND METHOD

All Party Members in good standing as of 11:59 PM Pacific Time on September 14th, 2022 are eligible to vote in Campaign Round One.
All Party Members in good standing as of 11:59 PM Pacific Time on October 19th, 2022 are eligible to vote in Campaign Round Two.
Voting will be conducted using a one-member, one-vote system with a preferential ballot. Ballots will include an option for “None-of-the-Above”.
Voting will be primarily conducted by online ballot, but a mail-in ballot option will be available. Members wishing to vote by mail must contact the Party to request a mail-in ballot. (See section 20 for mail-in voting rules.)

17. VOTING AT THE END OF CAMPAIGN ROUND ONE

A vote of Party members will take place if there are more than five Contestants in Round One. If there are five or fewer Contestants in Round One, all Contestants will move on to Campaign Round Two on September 15, 2022.
If required, the vote at the end of Campaign Round One will determine which four Contestants will move forward to Campaign Round Two.
Campaign Round One voting will begin at 12:00 PM Eastern Time on October 7, 2022 and end at 3:30 PM Eastern Time on October 14, 2022.
The results of the Campaign Round One Vote will be announced at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on October 14, 2022.
The four highest-ranking Contestants of this single transferable vote will remain in the Leadership Contest. Upon verification of the voting results by LCC, all Contestants will be immediately notified of the results. Contestants other than the four highest ranking ones will be notified that they have been eliminated from the Leadership Contest.

18. VOTING AT THE END OF CAMPAIGN ROUND TWO

Campaign Round Two voting will begin at 12:00 PM Eastern Time on November 12, 2022 and end at 3:30 PM Eastern Time on November 19, 2022.
The results of the Campaign Round Two (and final) Vote will be announced at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on November 19, 2022.

19. MAIL-IN VOTING

Requests for a mail-in ballot will be processed starting on the first day of the applicable Campaign Round.
A request for a mail-in ballot, or a request to replace a lost or missing mail-in ballot, may be made until 9 days before the final day of voting in that round. (CHANGE: See section 23)
A member who requests a mail-in ballot for Campaign Round One voting will be deemed to have requested a mail-in ballot for Campaign Round Two voting.
Completed mail-in ballots must be received by Simply Voting on or before the final day of voting.
Mail-in ballots will be processed by Simply Voting.
The total number of mail-in ballots will be recorded but mail-in vote tallies will not be made available.
Returned mail-in ballots will be retained for six months.

20. LEADERSHIP CONTEST EVENTS

The LCC will organize common Leadership Contest events (the “Common Events”), in which all Contestants may participate, to be held virtually or in-person, during Campaign Rounds One and Two, to permit contestants to showcase their leadership skills.
1. For a Common Event where travel is necessary, GPC will cover the cost of Contestants’ travel and accommodations.
Leadership Contestants may additionally organize their own campaign events and campaign activities.

21. IMPARTIALITY OF GPC STAFF, FEDERAL COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES

GPC Staff and contractors, members of the LCC and LCA and volunteers working for LCC, the interim Leader, Deputy Leaders, members of the Fund Board and members of Federal Council must act impartially throughout the Leadership Contest and must not use their position or access to Party resources to influence the electorate by supporting or opposing any particular Contestant or any person who has publicly announced their interest in becoming a Contestant.
A person listed in 21.1 must not:
1. participate as a supporter in an individual campaign event of any Contestant;
2. communicate by mass media (social media, interviews, printed material, etc.) support for or against any individual Contestant;
3. engage in any other activity or communication that indicates or provides favour or access to one Contestant over any other;
4. utilize any resources or information to which they have access by virtue of their official position in the Party, or in a Unit thereof, in support of one or more but not all Contestants.
EDA funds and resources may not be used to support or oppose any individual Contestant, including by:
1. transferring or lending EDA funds or resources to a Contestant;
2. sharing supporter data with a Contestant, including data compiled in GVote;
3. using EDA resources to communicate with supporters except in a manner giving all Contestants equal opportunity to participate.
No individual is permitted to utilize any resources or information to which they have access by virtue of their official position in the Party, or in a Unit thereof, in support of a Contestant. Individuals holding positions not listed in section 21.1 may support Contestants as individual Party members.
Where any support service is provided by the Party to any Contestant, the same service must be offered to all Contestants.
The Party may use its resources as well as the pooled Leadership Contest fundraising proceeds (contest support fees, see section 12.3) to promote the Leadership Contest and official Leadership Contest events in an impartial manner.
The Party will take all reasonable precautions to avoid favouring or appearing to favour any particular Contestant(s), over other Contestants during the Leadership Contest.
Prior to and during each Common Event, each Contestant will be given equal opportunity to promote and participate in the Common Event.
During the Leadership Contest the GPC will prepare Leadership Contest information messages and email them to Party members. All Contestants will be invited to submit their own promotional material, in a prescribed format, to be included in the information messages.
Any Contestant or person(s) acting on behalf of a Contestant who, during the Leadership Contest, contacts for any purpose an EDA, EDA executive or GPC staff member, must identify themselves as a Leadership Contestant or representative of a Leadership Contestant.
Contestants will be given a designated contact for GPC staff and the LCC/LCA.
A central repository of communications between Contestants and GPC staff, the LCC and LCA in regards to the administration of the Leadership Contest will be made available to all Contestants.

22. EQUITY EXTENSION

Members of equity-seeking groups, who choose to self-disclose on their Leadership Contest Application Form, may submit applications after the Leadership Contest application period, held from June 28, 2022 (12:00 AM Pacific Time) to August 5, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time), closes. Members of equity seeking groups are eligible for an extension to the application period and may submit their application between June 28, 2022 (12:00 AM Pacific Time) and August 14, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time). This extension represents an additional 9 days to prepare, complete, and submit their application between August 5, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time) and August 14, 2022 (11:59 PM Pacific Time).

23. TIMELINE

DATE EVENT/DEADLINE

May 24th Contest Start Date (Notification to Elections Canada)

June 28th Announcement of LC Rules, timeline, applications open

July 11th First day of language testing

August 5th Applications close

August 14th Application close for Equity Seeking Applicants

August 15th Last day of language testing

August 16th End of researching and assessing applications

August 18th Last day of language testing for Equity Seeking Applicants

August 19th LCC reviews assessments and approves/disapproves applications

August 20th All Applicants are notified by email of their approval or disapproval

August 22nd Deadline for rejected Applicants to appeal

August 25th End of researching and assessing applications for Equity Seeking Applicants

August 28th Last day for to LCC review assessments and approve/disapprove applications for Equity Seeking Applicants

August 29th Deadline for LCA to rule on appeals submitted on August 22nd

August 29th Equity Seeking Applicants are notified by email of their approval or disapproval on or before this date.

August 30th Registration of approved Applicants with Elections Canada

August 31st Last day for rejected Equity Seeking Applicants to appeal. Applicants must appeal within 48 hours of being notified of their application status.

August 29th Deadline for LCA to rule on appeals of rejections

August 30th Registration of approved Applicants with Elections Canada

August 31st Announcement of Leadership Contestants

Campaign Round

Campaign Round One: August 31, 2022
Mail-in ballot Requests Open: August 31, 2022
GPC Publishes Contestants Profiles on the GPC Website: September 2, 2022
Final date for mail-in ballot requests: October 25, 2022
Last day for Simply Voting to receive mail-in ballot: November 10, 2022
Campaign Round Online Voting Starts: 12:00 PM Eastern Time on November 12, 2022
Campaign Round Online Voting Ends: 3:30 PM Eastern Time on November 19, 2022.
Campaign Round Vote Results: 8:00 PM Eastern Time on November 19, 2022.