Despite big drop in 4th-quarter donations, Tories won 2019 fundraising race

OTTAWA — The federal Conservative party’s fundraising machine appears to have run out of steam during the final three months of 2019, as new Elections Canada figures show the party long known for raising more than any others fell behind the governing Liberals.

Yet despite the decline, the Tories still managed to raise more during the entire year than any other party.

A drop in donations for the final quarter of the year was to be expected, as federal parties had spent the earlier part of the year hitting up supporters for donations in the lead-up to October’s federal election.

But the decline for the Tories was particularly precipitous, as the party recorded only $4.1 million in donations between October and December from 31,500 donors after raising $10.1 million from 62,000 donors between June and September.

The Liberals experienced a less severe drop, but they also had a shorter distance to fall — the party raised $4.8 million from 46,000 donors in the final three months, compared to $7.2 million from 53,300 donors the previous quarter.

The Tories nonetheless extended their fundraising dominance by raising a total of $30.8 million in the whole of 2019, compared to $21 million for the Liberals, $8 million for the NDP and $6.5 million for the Greens.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2020.

The Canadian Press