It applies broadly and is a measure that the federal government should consider. Canada adopted fixed election date legislation, but thus far, adherence to the legislation has generally been the exception, rather than the rule. That has had a warping effect on political financing. Third parties can actually go right up until the day the election is called. We saw the result of that during the last election: it created a system that many felt was wrong.
I think Canada should consider the fixed date elections measure and decide that the election period covers the six months leading up to the election; in other words, all the financing provisions would apply retroactively for a period of six months prior to the election being called. The limit would apply to that period, and third parties would have to register from that point on.
I've never been in favour of the legislation because it goes against what our parliamentary system is meant to be about. Nevertheless, since it does exist, we should make sure that, in terms of financing, the measures around spending limits and the rules governing third parties are still meaningful.