The use of Governor General’s Special Warrants as a result of the 2025 General Election

When Parliament is dissolved due to a general election and the normal supply process has been interrupted, Governor General Special Warrants (Special Warrants) may be issued to supply the funds needed to allow the core operations of government to continue.[^1]

Special Warrants derive their authority from the Financial Administration Act, and may be issued when three conditions are met:[^2]

• Parliament is not in session for the purposes of a general election;

• There is no other appropriation available from which a payment can be made; and

• A payment is urgently needed for the public good.

The President of the Treasury Board is required to attest that there are no other funds within approved appropriations, including contingencies, from which payments could be made. Within the same organization, funding for different votes may not be used for other purposes, as this requires the approval of Parliament.[^3]

Special Warrants may only be issued to an organization if the responsible Minister attests that they are urgently required for the public good. Each Minister is accountable to Parliament for the issue of Special Warrants relating to the organization under their responsibility.

Special Warrants are deemed as an appropriation for the fiscal year in which they are issued. The amounts included in the Special Warrants will consequently be included in the next appropriation act for the fiscal year but will not be voted on separately.[^4] The two Special Warrants that were issued due to the 2025 General Election totaled 73.4 billion in expenditures, which was subsequently included in the 2025-26 Main Estimates.

Every Special Warrant must be published in the Canadian Gazette within 30 days after it has been issued. The first Special Warrant issued as a consequence of the 2025 General Election was issued on April 1, 2025 and appeared in the Gazette on April 12, 2025. The second Special Warrant was issued on May 2, 2025 and appeared in the Gazette on May 31, 2025. Within 15 days of a new Parliament, the government must also table a Statement in the House of Commons that show all of the Special Warrants that were issued while Parliament was not in session. The Statement on the use of Governor General Special Warrants was tabled on June 9, 2025.  

Prior convention for the issue of Special Warrants has been to recognize that the core operations of government are considered essential and must be maintained when Parliament is dissolved for the purposes of a general election.[^5] Special Warrants can provide supply to make a payment, but cannot confer an authority that requires the approval of Parliament. Authorities that require the approval of Parliament include:

• Spending revenues, where no other authority exists;

• Establishing or increasing grant authorities;

• Forgiving or writing off debts; and

• Increasing limits on the issuance of loans or guarantees.

These authorities will not be available until Appropriation Act No. 1 2025-26 receives Royal Assent.

Core operations also include the issue of grants. When operating under Special Warrants, organizations are able to issue grants for pre-existing programs up to what was approved in the Estimates to Date of the preceding fiscal year.

Some organizations rely on collecting revenues to fund their operations. They require annual authority from Parliament to spend these revenues. As this authority had not been granted, the Special Warrants were required to cover their gross operating requirements. The amounts that were provided through the Special Warrants will be recovered once full supply is approved. For example, some of the organizations impacted by this constraint were the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, the Department of Employment and Social Development, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Public Services and Procurement Canada. Of these, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission, and Department of Employment and Social Development required more funding from the Special Warrants than was requested in the Main Estimates.

Special Warrants do not have a prescribed period between when they are issued and the date of payment. Prior practice has been to keep this period as brief as practical, 30-45 days for example. Longer periods are also possible, for example the final Special Warrants issued may have an extended period to provide a new Parliament time to return to the normal supply process. The two Special Warrants issued due to the 2025 General Election each spanned a period of 45 days. It is also possible for a Special Warrant to be issued before it goes into effect, for example, the Governor General issued a Special Warrant on May 2, 2025 that went into effect on May 16, 2025.

The last time Governor General Special Warrants were used was in the 2011-12 fiscal year for the May 2, 2011 General Election.