Political Parties

You must reserve your party name before you can register your party. To apply to reserve your party name, download and submit Form P-3: Request to Reserve Name of a Political Party.

Elections Ontario will review the application and determine if you may register the name you requested. A proposed name must not:

• contain the word “independent”;
• be similar to another political party or political entity name in Canada;
• be abusive or offensive; or
• be submitted by an applicant who has a current and unexpired reservation for a different party name.

If Elections Ontario decides that you may register the name you propose, Elections Ontario will reserve the name for you for one year. Once you have reserved your party name you may begin the process to register your party.

There is no fee to reserve your party name. You may wish to view the list of reserved and registered Ontario political party names.

When you fill out forms please be sure that:

• all information is accurate and complete (inaccurate information will cause delays and may be a contravention of the Election Finances Act); and
• information is typed or printed clearly on the form.

If you have questions, please contact us.

Political parties in Ontario must be registered with Elections Ontario. There is no fee to register a political party. Successful registration allows a party to:

• receive contributions and issue tax receipts;
• finance the party’s political activities in a campaign period;
• be reimbursed for campaign expenses; and
• have constituency associations and candidates.

Before a political party can apply to be registered with Elections Ontario it must: 

• reserve the party name with Elections Ontario;
• appoint a chief financial officer (CFO); and
• appoint an auditor.

When you fill out forms please ensure:

• all information is accurate and complete (inaccurate information will cause delays and may be a contravention of the Election Finances Act); and
• information is typed or printed clearly on the form.

For more information about registration and de-registration please see our CFO Handbook for Political Parties.

A political party intending to register during a general election (or concurrent by-elections) must:

• if it has not already done so, submit its name reservation request to Elections Ontario no later than two days before the close of nominations to provide sufficient time for the registration process; and
• nominate and endorse a candidate in two or more electoral districts to represent it.

The political party must apply for registration in writing to Elections Ontario by submitting a Political Party Registration and Change Notice Form (P-1) once two candidates have been issued their Certificate of Nomination forms.

After you have reserved your party name, follow the steps below to register your party outside of a campaign period:

1. Collect a minimum of 1000 signatures from electors and include the signatures with your registration.
2. Complete Form P-4: Petition to Register a Political Party.
   • These signatures must be collected within the one-year period during which the party name has been reserved.
     
   • At the end of that year, the signatures cannot be used with your registration. 
3. Send us your completed form and signatures. We will review your information and contact a random sample of people who have signed your form for verification.
   • To allow for the assessment, all forms and signatures must be submitted a minimum of two months before a political campaign.

For more information about registration and de-registration, please see the CFO Handbook for Political Parties. 

Deadlines and other important dates for political parties are updated regularly.

May 31 of each year (or next business day if May 31 is a weekend or holiday):

• Deadline to file Form P-2: Annual Statement of Fundamental Purpose of a Political Party.
• Deadline to file Form AR-10: Political Party Annual Financial Statements.

There are three ways that a political party can be de-registered:

• voluntary de-registration;
• discretionary de-registration; and
• mandatory de-registration.

If you wish to voluntarily de-register a political party, complete Form P-1 Political Party Registration and Change Notice and return it to us in person, by mail or email.

There is no fee to de-register a party. There are filing requirements and requirements for the party’s funds. Please see the CFO Handbook for Political Parties for details.

Discretionary de-registration and mandatory de-registration are not voluntary. They will be used by Elections Ontario if it becomes necessary. More information about discretionary de-registration, mandatory de-registration and re-registration after de-registration can be found in the CFO Handbook for Political Parties.