Structure
How Branch is governed.
Branch is in transition from a sole proprietorship to a federal not-for-profit corporation. This page is updated as that work progresses.
Current status
Branch is currently operated as a sole proprietorship by Brady Howell out of Nova Scotia. Incorporation under the federal Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act is in progress under the working name Branch Civic Records Inc.
The plan, in three phases:
- Federal incorporation under the CNCA. Articles of incorporation, bylaws, conflict-of-interest policy, first board.
- Operating year one as a recognized non-profit. Quarterly board meetings, public annual report, audited or reviewed financial statements depending on revenue.
- CRA charity application under the "advancement of education" head, pursued within twenty-four months of incorporation. Once granted, donations to Branch become tax-deductible.
Non-partisanship guarantees
Branch reports on politicians and political parties. The credibility of that reporting depends on the structure being visibly non-partisan. Three guarantees are baked into the governing documents:
- The articles of incorporation prohibit endorsing or opposing parties, candidates, or political ideologies — and prohibit election advertising under the Canada Elections Act.
- The conflict-of-interest policy requires directors and staff to disclose any candidacy, party work, lobbying involvement, or government employment, and to recuse themselves from related decisions.
- Branch will not accept donations from political parties, registered third parties under the Canada Elections Act, registered lobbyists, or foreign governments.
Mission
Branch exists to make Canadian politics legible to the people most affected by it. We maintain a free, bilingual, ad-free record of who represents Canadians, how they vote, what their parties stand for, and what bills are moving through Parliament and the provincial and territorial legislatures.
The full mission statement, vision, and values are in the public governance archive on GitHub.
Funding model
Until charity registration is complete, Branch accepts voluntary contributions via GitHub Sponsors, Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, and Interac e-Transfer. These cover hosting, domain, and tooling costs only — there is no salary line yet.
Annual transparency report (covering revenue source, total received, and costs) will be published every May once at least twelve months of operating data exists.
Public documents
Once incorporation is complete, the following will be published here:
- Certificate of Incorporation (CNCA)
- Articles of Incorporation
- Bylaws (current version)
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- List of directors (names and terms)
- Annual transparency report (revenue and costs)
- Annual returns filed with Corporations Canada
Questions about Branch's governance, or want to be considered for the board? Write to hello@branchpolitics.ca.