Originally Posted by Martian

Based on the number of electors in Canada, the theoretical maximum (including cost of overhead) ought to be somewhere around $50 million. I realize that Canada's budget is much smaller than that of our neighbours to the south, but this is a rather paltry amount even for us. As noted by Charlatan, the actual amount spent is quite a bit less than the maximum.

This move is purely political in nature, and would have virtually no impact on the overall budget.