Thus, some of the amendments in the present package were not considered by the Ad Hoc Committee. Some examples of the proposed changes are provided to illustrate both the need for changes and the types of changes being proposed. It is intended that the updated Act will address problems that have arisen, streamline administration and bring dollar values in line with current conditions. The renewed Act should ensure that the regulation of election finances is as easy as possible for both the parties and candidates. And it should ensure that disclosure of election finances to the public is as clear and complete and accurate as possible.
Extensive changes take time to put into place.
The Commission, the parties, and the volunteers in the constituency associations and campaigns need time to become familiar with changes. Timely passage of the proposed package of amendments well before the next election will help everyone. The existing Act provides a blackout period on commercial advertising at both the beginning and the end of a campaign. Presumably these restrictions were a way of controlling spending prior to the imposition of spending limits. With campaign expenditure limits in place the prohibition on commercial advertising at the beginning of the campaign is no longer necessary.