Each Member receives annual funding to operate their constituency office(s). The allowance amounts, eligible expenses, and conditions are prescribed in Policy 7200 – Member Allowances.
Constituency Office Allowance
This annual allowance covers all day-to-day operating expenses, including office staff payroll and discretionary expenses. Members must budget accordingly for such items as staff benefits and payroll deductions, vacation pay, overtime, staff severance payments, relief staff salaries, or any non-standard lease costs. There are no additional funds available to Members for these types of financial obligations.
The Constituency Office Allowance may also be used for communications with constituents. The content of these advertisements and messages is restricted to announcing or reporting on constituency office activities, such as how to contact the Member, the role played by the Member in the legislative process, and services provided by the Member to constituents. For more information, please see the Constituency Office Communications section.
Eligible and ineligible expenses for the Constituency Office Allowance are outlined in Appendix B of Policy 7200 – Member Allowances. It is important to note this list may not include all scenarios. Please consult Client Care for clarification or advice on what may be an eligible expense.
Supplemental Constituency Office Allowance Funding
Start-Up Funding
After each election, start-up funding is added to a Member’s Constituency Office Allowance to cover the costs of setting up a constituency office, such as signage, office supplies, and small items (lamps, garbage cans, office décor).
Office Furniture and Equipment
When a Member is first elected, funding is added to a Member’s annual Constituency Office Allowance to purchase and maintain furnishings and equipment for their constituency offices. This additional funding is distributed once over a period of three consecutive Parliaments. At the start of a Member’s fourth consecutive Parliament, this funding is replenished. Members may use this funding to purchase new or used furniture and equipment. Typical expenses include desks, office chairs and visitor seating, display or brochure racks, bookcases, shredder, filing cabinets, boardroom table, and kitchenette equipment and appliances.
In-Constituency Travel
On an annual basis, additional funding is added to the Constituency Office Allowance for Members who represent constituencies in semi-urban, semi-remote, rural, and coastal or remote areas to cover costs incurred by constituency office staff while travelling on a Member’s behalf within the boundaries of the electoral district.
The funding amount varies on the physical size and geographic features of the constituency and is intended to cover normal travel expenses such as mileage, taxis, car share, hotels, and meals incurred by office staff while travelling on constituency business within the riding. Forms and detailed steps on submitting claims for reimbursement are available on the Client Care Portal.
Expense Processing and Budget Management
Making Payments (Invoices and Reimbursements)
Invoices should be submitted for payment using the Assembly’s Payables Portal. Members or their staff may also pay for purchases personally (for example, by using a credit card) and then submit an expense reimbursement request with supporting receipts for reimbursement using the Payables Portal. The Member must provide approval for any payment request (invoice or reimbursement) by electronically authorizing the transaction in the Assembly’s ERP software before payment is issued. Itemized invoices and expense receipts are required without exception.
For detailed information on this process, including payment steps and forms, please see the Client Care Portal.
Financial accounts and records, including scanned copies of all invoices and receipts, are maintained by Financial Services. Please see the Information and Records Management section for additional information.
Budget Management
Members are fully responsible for managing their respective Constituency Office Allowance and for ensuring expenditures are in compliance with Policy 7200 – Member Allowances. Constituency office expenses may be subject to review by internal or external auditors to ensure compliance with policy.
To assist Members with budget management, Members are provided with access to online monthly reports detailing their year-to-date expenditures in comparison to budget. These reports also track unspent funds carried forward from previous years. These reports are available on the Client Care Portal.
Other Constituency Office Resources
In addition to the Constituency Office Allowance, the Legislative Assembly pays for certain constituency office costs directly, which do not come out of the Constituency Office Allowance.
These include:
Standard lease costs, including normal occupancy expenses such as heat, light, property taxes, and parking are paid from a central constituency office leasing budget. The full list of standard lease costs covered by the Legislative Assembly is outlined in Policy 7310 – Constituency Office Leasing.
The Legislative Assembly provides computers, applicable software, and other devices for Members and constituency office staff. The allocation of standard IT resources provided to Members, constituency offices, and staff is outlined in Policy 7405 – IT Resource Allocation for Members and Employees of a Member or Caucus. Members can purchase additional resources exceeding their standard allocation using their Constituency Office Allowance.
Select quantities of personalized letterhead, business cards, notecards, and envelopes are available to each Member from centralized funds when ordered through Client Care. Stationery standards and quantities are set out in Appendix C of Policy 7200 – Member Allowances. Stationery exceeding these quantities may be purchased using the Constituency Office Allowance.
Order stationery on the Client Care Portal.
Orders for ministry stationery or any other government executive position, including Parliamentary Secretaries, is separate and is not covered by the Legislative Assembly. Please contact the appropriate ministry for details.
Members are permitted to send an unlimited amount of personally addressed mail to support their constituency and parliamentary responsibilities. The cost of postage is paid from centralized funds. The intent of this service is to permit Members to correspond with their constituents and other individuals.
Please note that bulk mailings are a communications expense that must be paid from the Constituency Office Allowance.
Remembrance Day (November 11) and Indigenous Veterans Day (November 8) wreaths presented by Members at ceremonies will be reimbursed centrally as required. Wreaths must be sourced from The Royal Canadian Legion and only size 20 wreaths are eligible for reimbursement from centralized funds.
While multiple wreaths can be acquired in recognition that Members may attend numerous ceremonies in their constituency, only one wreath may be purchased per cenotaph within the Member’s constituency. In cases where there is no cenotaph in a Member’s riding, a wreath may be purchased for one in a nearby riding at the Member’s discretion.