Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Oct. 30.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Conservatives are still raking in millions more than the Liberals or NDP as the clock ticks down to a general election, in what the party says is expected to be another record-setting fundraising year for the Tories.
According to financial returns filed with Elections Canada Thursday, the Conservatives raised more than all the other political parties combined between July and September. Leader Pierre Poilievre’s party brought in $8.5-million, compared with $3.3-million for the Liberals and $1.3-million for the NDP.
Before the numbers were released, the Liberals had voiced optimism that they would show the party in a better position but it is not materially different from last year. Between January and March, the party raised $3.1-million, that then climbed to $3.8-million between April and June but has now fallen back slightly.
In the first nine months of this year the Conservatives have amassed $29-million, the Liberals have brought in $10.2-million, and the New Democrats have raised $3.9-million.
The Tories have so far raised $5.6-million more this year than they did at the same point last year. Both the Liberals and NDP are on pace for the same level of fundraising as last year.
“We just had the best non-election year Q3 of any Canadian political party ever,” Conservative Party director of communications Sarah Fischer said in a statement.
She said the cash levels put the Conservatives “on track for yet another record fundraising year.”
The Liberals argued that compared with the last eight years, this year’s third-quarter results are solid.
“The Liberal Party of Canada is in one of the strongest positions for fundraising and grassroots organizing in the party’s history,” said spokesperson Parker Lund.
New Democrats say they maintained their fundraising levels despite pausing those efforts in both B.C. and Saskatchewan during the last quarter so that the federal party wasn’t competing for members’ cash when the provincial parties were heading to the polls.
“The NDP is proud that our party is funded by small donations from everyday people, and we’ll have no problem funding pre-election advertising and a national election campaign,” said NDP national director Lucy Watson in a statement.
The massive gap in cash flow between the Official Opposition Conservatives and the Liberals and NDP comes as Mr. Poilievre’s party is also far outspending its competition in advertising.
In the last three months, the Conservatives have spent $771,549 advertising on Facebook, compared with $84,005 by the Liberals, and $29,334 by the NDP, according to data tracked by Cole Hogan, a conservative digital ad strategist and principal at the firm GT&Co.
According to the most recent annual filings submitted to Elections Canada, the Conservatives spent $8.5-million on TV, radio and other advertising in 2023. In contrast, the Liberals spent just $381,346 in the same time period, and the NDP spent just $42,310.
At their Wednesday caucus meeting Liberal MPs were shown a series of ads that the party is planning to roll out. The Globe and Mail reported that the ads highlight Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the government’s record in office and includes some contrast with the Conservatives.
On their way out of the meeting, Liberal MPs were largely optimistic about the ads and said the party’s fundraising was quite strong. “The Conservatives should be nervous,” said B.C. MP Ken Hardie.
The Bloc Québécois accrued $356,397 in the third quarter, bringing their total so far this year to $1-million.
The Green Party raised $379,850 between July and September, and the People’s Party raised $202,106 in the same time frame.
In total this year, the Greens have raised $1.2-million and the People’s Party has brought in $582,189.
The next federal election is scheduled for October, 2025, but in a minority government a snap campaign could be triggered at any time.