Canada

‘We actually have a worse dark money problem in Canada than they do in the US’

Months after Canada’s federal election, the funding sources for some prominent third-party advertisers remain a mystery. Experts say the political influencers are increasingly finding ways to sidestep election advertising regulations, and in some cases strategically choosing non-compliance.

“Between the comparatively low penalties, the lengthiness of the process, it doesn’t necessarily encourage compliance, especially if you’re a third party that is already antagonistic to this approach that we have to regulating third party finance,” said Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor in the political science department at McMaster University.

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Canada Strong and Proud spent up to $581,044 on political ads placed on Meta platforms in 2025. Only about $290,000 was spent during the official federal campaign period and is subject to reporting requirements. To date, the sources of just $750 in contributions have been disclosed to Elections Canada. Elections Canada told the IJF that Canada Strong and Proud was granted an extension for its final campaign return, but the return was not received by the Sept. 29 due date.

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