With the House of Commons on a summer break, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are out on the fundraising trail this week, with the leaders looking to Montreal and Alberta for support.
Accompanied by a pair of ministers, Mr. Trudeau held an event in Montreal on Wednesday, and Mr. Poilievre has events planned in Alberta on Friday and Saturday.
MPs are not scheduled to return to the Commons until Sept. 16.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau made an announcement in Montreal, and later attended a Liberal fundraising event in the city, accompanied by Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
According to the Conservative Party website, Mr. Poilievre has three events scheduled in Alberta this week in Calgary and the southern Alberta Foothills County municipal district. On Saturday, he will attend a barbecue in Calgary to celebrate the Calgary Stampede.
On Tuesday, Mr. Poilievre has an evening fundraising event in Vancouver followed by a Thursday event in the Montreal suburb of Hampstead.
The Conservative Leader’s fundraising calendar this month also includes an event featuring a high-profile supporter of his party. Dan Daviau, the president and CEO of the Toronto-based investment bank Canaccord Genuity Group Corp., is to host Mr. Poilievre at a July 22 event in the regional municipality of Muskoka, according to an advisory obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Mr. Daviau has been a regular donor to federal Conservatives over the years, according to Elections Canada records.
NDP national director Lucy Watson said in a statement that Leader Jagmeet Singh has been out raising funds for the party as recently as last week when he held an event in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, where a by-election is expected to replace former justice minister David Lametti.
“The leader will continue to fundraise wherever he goes this summer so we can continue to grow the great momentum we are building,” Ms. Watson said in a statement.
”We just finished the second quarter fundraising and we are proud to note that our digital donations are up at least 25 per cent from last year.”
The federal Conservatives have been consistently running ahead of the Liberals in public opinion polling, with greater support for the party as well as Mr. Poilievre as leader compared with Mr. Trudeau.
According to fundraising numbers for 2023 released in January by Elections Canada, the Conservatives under Mr. Poilievre raised more money than all other major political parties combined.
They raised nearly $35.3-million in 2023, compared with $15.6-million for the Liberals in the same period of time.
Last year the Bloc Québécois raised $1.8-million; the NDP, $6.9-million; the Green Party, $1.9-million and the People’s Party of Canada, $1.6-million.
As well, the Conservatives spent more than $8.5-million on advertising last year, substantially exceeding what its political rivals spent.
The Liberals spent around $381,000, while the NDP spent only about $42,000.
The numbers are detailed in federal parties’ annual financial returns for 2023, which Elections Canada posted online this week.
With a report from The Canadian Press