On March 4, a federal by-election will be held in the electoral district of Durham (Ontario) to fill a vacancy in the House of Commons.

On August 3, 2023, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that Member of Parliament Erin O’Toole’s seat was vacant.

O’Toole had resigned from the seat after being removed as leader of the Conservative Party earlier in 2023.

The date for the election was not announced until January 28, which signaled the start of the by-election period.

Sometime before July 14, 2024, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Toronto–St. Paul’s in the province of Ontario.

On January 17, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Toronto—St. Paul’s (Ontario) became vacant following the resignation of Carolyn Ann Bennett.

Bennett officially resigned from her seat in the House of Commons on January 16, 2024, and was appointed on the same day as Canada’s Ambassador to Denmark.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between January 27 and July 14, 2024, and will signal the start of the by-election period.

According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is March 4, 2024.

Campaign contribution limits have increased in Prince Edward Island, Canada, for 2024.

In a calendar year, a person individually may contribute $3,250 to each party.

A contribution to a registered candidate affiliated with a registered party is considered a contribution to the party.

An individual may choose to donate the maximum to each registered party and any independent candidates.

Individual contribution limits are subject to an annual increase of $50 every January 1.

The previous contribution limit from 2023 was $3,200.

Campaign contribution limits have increased in Ontario, Canada, for 2024.

In a calendar year, a person individually may contribute $3,375 to each party, to each constituency association and nominations contestants of a party, and to each leadership contestant of a party.

Additionally, in a campaign period, a person may contribute $3,375 to each candidate of a party, and to each independent non-party candidate.

The total contribution made with respect to a single fundraising event by a contributor may not exceed $3,375 multiplied by the indexation factor.

The previous contribution limits from 2023 were $3,350.

The Federal Election Commission has announced its civil monetary penalty amounts, adjusted for inflation, for 2024.

The potential fines for civil violations of federal campaign finance laws have increased to range from $7,256 to $84,852, from the previous range of $7,028 to $82,188.

The amounts are calculated through a statutory formula applying the most recent “cost-of-living adjustment multiplier,” issued by the Office of Management and Budget, to the current amounts.

The amended civil monetary penalties took effect as of January 5, 2024, the publication date in the Federal Register.

For 2024, the minimum wage required to be paid by US Federal Contractors under Executive Order 14026 increases to $17.20 an hour.

Starting on January 30, 2022, all federal agencies were required to incorporate a $15 minimum wage in new contract solicitations pursuant to an executive order signed by President Joseph R. Biden on April 27, 2021.

The order requires federal contractors to pay a minimum wage for employees working on or in connection with a federal government contract.

Beginning January 1, 2024, and for each subsequent year, tipped workers must now receive 100% of the wage received by non-tipped workers, currently $17.20 an hour, eliminating the difference between the type of workers.

This applies to tipped employees performing work on or in connection with contracts covered by Executive Order 14026.

Contractors and subcontractors must certify they meet this condition requiring the minimum wage.

This certification is a condition of payment to the contractors from the government.

The order does not apply to grants; contracts, contract-like instruments, or certain specific type of agreements with Indian Tribes.

If a state or municipality has a higher minimum wage, the Executive Order does not excuse noncompliance with the laws requiring the higher wage.

Elections Canada has published the Canadian federal contribution limits for the 2024 calendar year.

In 2024, individuals may contribute up to $1,725 to independent candidates, leadership candidates, registered parties, and to, in total, all of the registered associations, nomination contestants and candidates of each registered party.

The limits also apply to any unpaid balance of loans made during a contribution period and the amount of any loan guarantees made during a contribution period.

The limits increase annually by $25 on January 1.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia, Canada, for 2024 to $1,450.82 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations.

Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,450.82 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2024.

The previous limit from 2023 was $1,401.40.

Also increased to $410 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,450.82 contribution limit.

These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

On March 1, 2024, the Federal Election Commission new rules eliminating and updating references to outdated technologies in federal campaign finance regulations are expected to come into effect.

The Final Rules and an Explanation and Justification for Technological Modernization, approved by the FEC at their last meeting in December, attempts to modernize the commission’s regulations in light of technological advances in communications, recordkeeping, and financial transactions.

A significant part of the rulemaking is amending the definition of “public communication” and adopting a new term, “internet public communication,” to include communications over the internet that are “placed or promoted for a fee on another person’s website, digital device, application, or advertising platform. A public communication is promoted for a fee where a payment is made to a website, digital device, application, or advertising platform in order to increase the circulation, prominence, or availability of the communication on that website, digital device, application, or advertising platform.”

The intent is to ensure that political committees properly disclose their paid internet communications and help to prevent the circumvention of disclaimer requirements.

The FEC also concluded that many of the current regulations do not account for technological developments in how electronic documents are created, maintained, and submitted, particularly in the context of electronic transactions. The rules make regulatory revisions to facilitate electronic accounting, recordkeeping, reporting, and redesignation by political committees.

The Final Rules will be published in the Federal Register at a future date.

On December 14, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) elected Sean J. Cooksey as its chairman for 2024.

Cooksey replaces Dara Lindenbaum, who was appointed to the commission in 2022.

The chairmanship is a rotating, one-year position.

Ellen L. Weintraub was elected as Vice Chair for the next year.

Additionally, at the same regularly held open meeting, the FEC unanimously approved 16 legislative recommendations be submitted for consideration to the U.S. Congress.

The recommendations concern subject matters such as establishing an itemization threshold for conduit contributions; increasing the rate of pay for FEC commissioners, staff director and general counsel; amending the foreign national prohibition to include substantial assistance; and amending the foreign national prohibition to include state and local ballot initiatives, referenda and recall elections.

On January 1, the city of Burlington, Ontario’s new lobbyist registry bylaw comes into effect.

The law effectively replaces the city’s Lobbyist Registration Policy, which passed on October 19, 2021, and came into effect January of 2022.

As noted in the city of Burlington’s December 12 press release, the new a bylaw approved by City Council on July 11, 2023, includes:

• A move from volunteer to mandatory registration of applicable lobbying activities. All lobbyists must file a registration for each matter they intend to lobby prior to the lobbying, or within fifteen days of the initial communication;
• An expanded definition of lobbying communication that includes a formal meeting, email, letter, phone call or meaningful dialogue or exchange that materially advances a matter that is defined as lobbying, whether in a formal or an informal setting;
• The addition of the Burlington Leadership Team as a part of the lobbyist registry, along with the city council, as public office holders;
• The appointment of the city clerk as the Lobbyist Registrar to centralize and improve efficiency of registry administration;
• Limited enforcement of the bylaw: Where a person has contravened any of the provisions in the bylaw, they will be prohibited from lobbying activities until an information and education meeting with the Lobbyist Registrar is held. For a second offense, lobbying activities will be prohibited for 60 days.

While the city’s current registry is presently available online, new registration forms and webpage updates will be made to reflect the bylaw once it takes effect in January 2024.

“The new Lobbyist Registry bylaw will help ensure greater transparency in the local government decision-making process,” said Deputy Clerk Kevin Klingenberg in the press release.

On January 23, 2024, a special election will be held to fill a vacant seat for the 115th Assembly District of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Gov. Ned Lamont formerly announced the special election on December 8 in order to fill the seat vacated by Dorinda Borer.

Borer resigned on December 2 and was inaugurated as the newly elected mayor of West Haven on December 3.

On December 1, over two-thirds of the United States House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos.

The resolution to expel him from Congress passed 311 to 114, with 105 Republicans and all but two Democrats voting to remove him.

On November 16, the Investigative Subcommittee of the House Committee on Ethics completed its investigation and unanimously concluded that there was substantial evidence that Santos:

• Knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission;
• Used campaign funds for personal purposes;
• Engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and
• Engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure Statements filed with the House.

The committee then immediately referred these allegations to the Department of Justice, according to the Committee’s press release.

Santos is only the sixth member of the House to be removed by this type of vote in its history.

The last member removed was Rep. James A. Traficant in 2002.

A special election to fill the now-vacant seat is expected to be announced by New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

A lobbyist registry for the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, is now live and operational.

On September 11, the city of Kelowna City Council had established a Lobbyist Registry through a policy, Council Policy 390 Lobbyist Registry, to promote transparency by establishing registration and disclosure requirements for those seeking to influence a decision of council.

The council chose a policy rather than enacting a by-law and gave the city time to establish an electronic registry within the umbrella of the city of Kelowna’s official website.

The Policy applies to all lobbyists engaging in lobbying of a council member.

Lobbying is defined as communicating verbally or in writing, or to meet with an elected official for the purpose of influencing a decision of the council.

A lobbyist is defined as an individual, whether paid or voluntary, who lobbies an elected official regarding a matter within the council’s jurisdiction.

The lobbyist may represent individual interests or represent an organization, whether employed by that organization or on behalf of a different organization.

A lobbyist must register with the city within 5 days of lobbying a council member.

Each registration is considered active for six months, after which a new registration must be filed for lobbying activities.

The Lobbyist Registry allows the public to view and search the Registry online and is updated daily on regular business days with new registrations.