Report on the Survey of Registered Third Parties for the 43rd General Election: Wave 1 Final Report - Appendix A: Questionnaire

Programming notes — Variables available

Introduction

Hello! My name is ________. I'm calling from Forum Research to conduct a survey on behalf of Elections Canada. The purpose of this survey is to understand registered third parties' experiences, opinions and attitudes about the third-party political financing regime. This survey should take 15-20 minutes to complete and can be completed over the phone or online. This survey is anonymous and voluntary, and your responses will not be used to identify you in any way. May I begin the survey?

Yes - Continue

No - Schedule callback

Hard no - thank and terminate

[IF ASKED ABOUT THE LEGITIMACY OF THE SURVEY]: If you would like to ensure that this survey is run by Elections Canada, you can call their toll-free number at 1-800-463-6868. Their hours of operation are Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time).

[IF ASKED ABOUT ELECTIONS CANADA]: The toll-free telephone number for Elections Canada is 1-800-463-6868. Their hours of operation are Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time).

Please note that this call may be recorded for quality control or training purposes. Any personal information collected is subject to the federal Privacy Act and will be held in strict confidence. By taking part in this survey, you consent to the use of your answers for research and statistical purposes. The anonymous database of all responses may be shared with external researchers under the strict condition that no personal information is ever distributed or made public.

Screening

1. Were you the financial agent for a third party that registered with Elections Canada for the 2019 general election? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No [TERMINATE]
3. Don't know [TERMINATE]

[ASK IF Q1 = 01]

1b. You qualify for the survey! Would you like to continue over the phone or online?

1. Phone
2. Online

[ASK IF Q1b = 02]

1c. What is your email address? [RECORD RESPONSE]

[CONTINUE CATI]

If you were the financial agent for more than one registered third party, please base your answers on the one that had the highest amount of expenses.

In this survey, we will ask you about a number of the tasks that registered third parties are required to undertake, the services that are offered to them, and your thoughts and opinions about the third party regime in general. Please answer to the best of your knowledge on behalf of your third party as a whole. If you have no knowledge of something that is touched upon, please feel free to respond that you don't know.

Information about Third Parties

Type & Purpose of Third Party

2. Which of the following best describes your third party? [READ LIST]

1. A business
2. A union
3. An organization with no formal legal entity
4. A registered charity
5. A registered non-profit or membership-based organization
6. An individual
7. Other [please specify]
8. [DO NOT READ] Prefer not to say
9. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Past & Future Registration

3. To your knowledge, has this third party ever registered for any past federal elections? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

4. To your knowledge, how likely or unlikely is it that this third party will register for future federal elections? [READ LIST]

1. Very likely
2. Somewhat likely
3. Somewhat unlikely
4. Very unlikely
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Registration & Financial Records

Ease of Registration Process

5. Based on your experience registering as a third party, how easy or difficult was it to determine whether your organization needed to register with Elections Canada? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

6. How easy or difficult was it to figure out at what point your third party needed to register? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

7. How easy or difficult was it to figure out how to register? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Finding Registration Forms

8. Were you the person responsible for finding the form to register as a third party on the Elections Canada website? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q8 = 01]

9. How easy or difficult was it to find the registration form? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Burden of Registration Process

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statement:

10. Registering as a third party did not require very much work. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Burden of Financial Records

11. Opening a separate bank account and maintaining separate financial records for regulated activities did not require very much work. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Ease of Registration

12. Overall, would you say that registering as a third party was... [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Reasons It Was Not Easy To Register

[ASK IF Q12 = 03 OR 04]

13. What was difficult about registering? [OPEN-ENDED]

Interim Returns

Ease of Interim Return Process

Now we would like to ask you about interim returns. Some third parties needed to submit interim returns while others did not, depending on the amount of contributions they received or expenses they incurred and when the contributions were received and expenses incurred.

14. How easy or difficult was it to figure out whether or not your third party needed to submit any interim returns? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

15. How easy or difficult was it to figure out by what date your third party needed to submit interim returns? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

16. How easy or difficult was it to figure out how to submit interim returns? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Finding Interim Return Form

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

17. How easy or difficult was it to find the interim return form on the Elections Canada website? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Burden of Interim Returns

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statement:

18. Completing and submitting the interim returns did not require very much work. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Ease of Interim Return Process

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

19. Overall, would you say that the process of completing and submitting the interim returns was... [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF Q19 = 03 OR 04]

20. What was difficult about completing and submitting the interim returns? [OPEN-ENDED]

Elections Canada Products and Services

This next section will ask for your opinion about some of the products and services that Elections Canada makes available for third parties.

21. Did you use any of the following Elections Canada products and services? [READ ITEMS AND RESPONSE OPTIONS]

[ITEMS]

1. The Political Financing Handbook for Third Parties, Financial Agents and Auditors
2. The Third–Party Roadmap
3. The "New Requirements for Third Parties" document
4. The Political Financing videos
5. The Webex information session for third parties
6. The Political Entities Support Network 1-800  #

[RESPONSE OPTIONS]

1. Yes
2. No
3. [DO NOT READ] Don't know
4. [DO NOT READ] I was not aware of this product

Handbook

[ASK IF 21A = 01]

22. Would you say that Elections Canada's Political Financing Handbook for Third Parties, Financial Agents and Auditors was... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Roadmap

[ASK IF 21B = 01]

23. Would you say that Elections Canada's Third Party Roadmap was... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Backgrounder

[ASK IF 21C = 01]

24. Would you say that Elections Canada's document entitled, "New Requirements for Third Parties", was... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Political Financing Videos

[ASK IF 21D = 01]

25. Would you say that the Political Financing videos on Elections Canada's website were... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Webex Presentation

[ASK IF 21E = 01]

26. Would you say that the Webex information session for third parties was... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Political Entities Support Network (1-800 Number)

[ASK IF 21F = 01]

27. Would you say that contacting Elections Canada through the 1-800 number for political entities was... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Pre-electoral Period Phone Call

[ASK IF REGISTERED BEFORE SEPT 11/19]

28. After your application was submitted, did you receive a phone call from Elections Canada to discuss the fact that the third party may need to file an interim return within 5 days of becoming registered? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q28 = 01]

29. How helpful was that phone call? [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF REGISTERED BEFORE SEPT 11/19]

30. When receiving information like that, do you prefer phone or email? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Phone
2. Email
3. Don't know

Email Reminder

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

31. Did you receive an email reminding you of the September 30 and October 15 deadlines to file your interim returns? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q31 = 01]

32. How helpful was that reminder email? [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF NUMBER OF INTERIM RETURNS SUBMITTED ≠ 0]

33. When receiving information like that, do you prefer phone or email? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Phone
2. Email
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q31 = 01]

34. How was the timing of that email? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Timing was good
2. Sent too early
3. Sent too late
4. Don't know

Ad Campaign

35. Do you remember seeing any social media ads or posts from Elections Canada about registering as a third party? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q35 = 01]

36. Would you say that those social media ads and posts were... [READ LIST]

1. Very helpful
2. Somewhat helpful
3. Not very helpful
4. Not helpful at all
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Anything else?

37. Is there any other kind of product or service that would have made the process easier for you? If so, what kind? [OPEN–ENDED]

Other Sources

38. Did you consult any other sources aside from Elections Canada to understand the provisions of the Canada Elections Act as they relate to third parties and how they applied in your situation? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q38 = 01]

39. What sources did you consult? [OPEN-ENDED]

Reporting Regulated Activities

Ease of Determining Regulated Activities

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements:

40. It was clear which of my third party's activities were regulated under the Canada Elections Act. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

41. Reporting my third party's regulated spending under the right category (e.g. Partisan activity, election survey, election advertising) was easy. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

42. The reporting time periods were clear. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Views on Third–Party Obligations

Attitude Toward the New Third–Party Regime

In 2018, a number of changes were introduced to the provisions of the Canada Elections Act as they relate to third parties, including new spending limits during the pre-election period.

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements:

43. The recent changes to the Canada Elections Act regarding third parties' regulated activities have improved election spending transparency. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

44. The recent changes to the Canada Elections Act regarding third parties' regulated activities have helped to create a more level playing field amongst organizations with different access to financial resources. [READ LIST]

1. Strongly agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Somewhat disagree
4. Strongly disagree
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

Election Issues

The next section will ask about the advocacy activities your third party undertook during the election period; that is, from the day on which the writs were issued (September 11, 2019) up to polling day.

45. Deleted question

46. Which of the following advocacy activities did your third party undertake during the election period? Please select all that apply. [READ LIST]

1. Posting about election issues on social media
2. Providing information about election issues on a website
3. Sending emails or text messages about election issues
4. Advertising about election issues
5. Canvassing door-to-door about election issues
6. Giving media interviews about election issues
7. Other [please specify]
8. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF Q46 ≠ 04]

47. Did your third party consider advertising about election issues? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q47 = 01]

48. What made your third party decide not to advertise about election issues? [OPEN-ENDED]

[ASK IF Q46 = 04 OR Q47 = 01]

49. How easy or difficult was it to figure out whether the issues you wanted to advertise about were election issues; that is, associated with a party or candidate, even if they are not mentioned? [READ LIST]

1. Very easy
2. Somewhat easy
3. Somewhat difficult
4. Very difficult
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF Q49 = 03 OR 04]

50. What made it difficult to figure out whether the issues you wanted to advertise about were election issues? [OPEN-ENDED]

51. Did you contact Elections Canada to seek any clarification regarding advertising about election issues? [DO NOT READ LIST]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Don't know

[ASK IF Q51 = 01]

52. How satisfied were you with the help you received from Elections Canada regarding advertising about election issues? [READ LIST]

1. Very satisfied
2. Somewhat satisfied
3. Somewhat unsatisfied
4. Very unsatisfied
5. [DO NOT READ] Don't know

[ASK IF Q52 = 03 OR 04]

53. What caused you to be unsatisfied? [OPEN-ENDED]

Other Comments

54. Is there anything else not covered here that you would like to share about your experience as a registered third party? [OPEN-ENDED]

55. [PHONE ONLY] We would like to follow up with you in a few months, once your third party's final reporting is complete, to ask a few more questions. For that survey we would contact you by email and the survey would be on-line. Would you be willing to provide your email address to receive that follow-up survey? [RECORD RESPONSE]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback. It is much appreciated. [WEB ONLY: "Please watch for your invitation to complete a follow-up survey once your third party's final reporting is complete.]

If you have any reason to believe that your personal information is not being handled in accordance with the Privacy Act, you have a right to complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. [PHONE ONLY ADD: "Would you like me to give you the contact information?"]

[PHONE: IF ASKED]
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
TTY: (819) 994-6591
Web: Go to www.priv.gc.ca and click "Report a concern"