Sections 178 to 184 of The Elections Act and section 99 of The Election Financing Act describe the specific offences under Manitoba’s election laws.
Additionally, both Acts provide that it is an offence to contravene or fail to comply with any provision of the Acts or Regulations not specifically listed as an offence.
Specific offences under The Elections Act are organized into five categories:
- bribery and intimidation offences
- voting offences
- offences relating to candidates
- offences relating to election officials and others
- miscellaneous offences such as those relating to false or misleading information or misuse of the voters list
Specific offences under the The Election Financing Act include:
- obstruction of an audit, inquiry, investigation or examination
- force and intimidation relating to contributions
- false contribution receipts
- false registration numbers
- false statement in any application, statement, return or other document
- false information respecting contributions
- failure to file adequate documents
- failure to comply with contribution rules
- party/candidate exceeding expense limit
- officers responsible for overspending
- misuse of information filed under The Election Financing Act
- failure to provide records
Penalties
A person who is guilty of an offence under The Elections Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine or to imprisonment, or to both. A person who is guilty of an offence under The Election Financing Act is liable on summary conviction to a fine.
The dollar amount of the fine and/or term of imprisonment depends on the particular offence. Guidelines are included in The Elections Act in section 185, and in The Election Financing Act under section 100 (1-3).