Top 10 Sask. spenders in 2015 federal election

It appears money isn’t everything when it comes to the last federal election in Saskatchewan.

The candidate who spent the most on his campaign last fall didn’t manage to get elected.

Election finances submitted to Elections Canada show the Conservative candidate in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill, former MP Rob Clarke, spent $180,127.63 on his election campaign. That is more than any of the other 63 candidates in Saskatchewan. He was beat by NDP candidate, Georgina Jolibois, who spent $46,389.23 – the least out of any elected candidate, and almost a quarter of what Clarke spent.

Though, in an interesting twist, Clarke is not the Saskatchewan candidate who will get the most back from tax payers.

Any candidate who gets at least 10 per cent of the vote will get back 60 per cent of their eligible expenses. About $70,000 of Clarke’s expenses weren’t eligible, so Conservative candidate and now-MP for Prince Albert Randy Hoback takes that honour. Hoback spent $159,978.42 in his campaign, and will likely get back $94,143.85 from taxpayers.

In six out of Saskatchewan’s 14 federal ridings, the candidate who spent the most did not win the seat. Six of the 10 candidates who spent the most in the province did not get elected.

In total, $3,186,547.62 was spent by Saskatchewan candidates in the October 2015 federal election.

Top spenders

1. Conservative Rob Clarke – Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River (not elected)
   $180,127.63
2. Conservative Randy Hoback – Prince Albert (elected)
   $159,978.42
3. NDP Sheri Benson – Saskatoon West (elected)
   $147,971.08
4. Conservative Andrew Scheer – Regina-Qu’Appelle (elected)
    $137,273.89 
5. Conservative Randy Donauer – Saskatoon West (not elected)
   $133,514.87
6. Conservative Michael Kram – Regina-Wascana (not elected)
    $127,461.52 
7. Conservative Claire Card – Saskatoon-University (not elected)
   $125,014.70 
8. Conservative Kelly Block – Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek (elected)
   $113,895.74 
9. Liberal Cynthia Marie Block – Saskatoon-University (not elected)
   $111,417.27
10. NDP Scott Bell – Saskatoon-Grasswood (not elected)
    $110,983.35

Top elected spenders

1. Conservative Randy Hoback – Prince Albert
   $159,978.42
2. NDP Sheri Benson – Saskatoon West
   $147,971.08$
3. Conservative Andrew Scheer – Regina-Qu’Appelle 
   $137,273.89
4. Conservative Kelly Block – Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek
   $113,895.74
5. Liberal Ralph Goodale – Regina-Wascana 
   $102,630.66

Lowest elected spenders

1. NDP Georgina Jolibois – Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill 
   $46,389.23
2. Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen – Souris-Moose Mountain
   $49,562.23
3. Conservative David Anderson – Cypress Hills-Grasslands
   $67,629.47
4. Conservative Brad Trost – Saskatoon-University
   $69,608.36
5. Conservative Cathay Wagantall – Yorkton-Melville 
   $72,720.41

These numbers come from the financial documents submitted by the candidates to Elections Canada. In some cases in the review process the documents can be amended.