Tories cash in on Contributions

This is from the Edmonton Sun.

Those with money obviously prefer Conservatives. However Dion was not the choice of the kingmakers in the Liberal party so now there is an establishment candidate perhaps more money will flow in. The amount raised by the NDP is surprising. It is not all that much less than the Liberals. The Green Party too raises a considerable sum considering they do not have a single seat in parliament.


February 3, 2009
Tories cash in on contributions
By CHRISTINA SPENCER, NATIONAL BUREAU
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OTTAWA -- While the mighty Conservative machine vacuumed up a mountain of contributions last year, the federal Liberals stumbled through 2008 casting for financial breadcrumbs.
Figures released by Elections Canada show the Tories raised almost $21.2 million in contributions last year, more than three times the $6.2 million directed to the Liberals. The NDP took in almost $5.5 million.
About $1.92 million in Liberal party contributions were in the form of pledges not to the party itself but to leadership candidates from 2006.
In other words, the money was to pay the expenses and debts of contestants such as Dion, Gerard Kennedy and Bob Rae, and wasn't available for general party needs.
The overall numbers, says Queen's University political scientist Kathy Brock, "just speak to the power of [the Tories'] fundraising machine."
More than any other party, the Conservatives have adapted to fundraising reforms that ban corporate donations and cap individual ones.
Basically, fundraisers have to appeal to more individual voters. According to the Elections Canada data, the Conservatives had 174,558 contributors; the Liberals attracted 52,310.
In the last quarter of 2008 alone, the Tories amassed more contributions - $6.3 million - than the Liberals raised for the entire year.
"It does reflect the turmoil the Liberals were going through under the Stephane Dion leadership and it confirms that they've made the right choice in moving a new leader into the party more quickly than they had originally thought was necessary." Brock said.
"It also indicates that the Liberals could not have gone into an election."
All eyes will be on the next Elections Canada contributions report - for the first quarter of 2009 - to see what impact new Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff has on financing.
Brock noted Ignatieff has already started to adopt U.S. President Barack Obama's fundraising techniques of reaching out to individual contributors through the Internet.
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IN THE MONEY?
CONTRIBUTIONS AND TRANSFERS, 2008
Conservative Party: $21,193,346
Liberal Party: $6,242,045
New Demcratic Party: $5,494,375
Green Party: $1,650,352
Bloc Quebecois: $1,444,511
Source: Elections Canada
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