Michael Ignatieff’s summer bus trip didn’t give the Liberals any bounce when it came to fundraising. The party raised $1.47-million over the past three months, down from the $1.6-million it attracted in second quarter of this year, according to Elections Canada financial reports.
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, meanwhile, raised another $4-million in donations in the quarter ending in September, crediting the popularity of their economic and tough-on-crime policies.
“We’ve been consistent for a number of quarters, which says a lot about our success on tackling important issues like the economy and getting tough on crime,” a senior Conservative Party official told The Globe on Tuesday.
Indeed, the Tories have raised around $4-million in each of the three quarters so far this year.
“As for the Ignatieff, his numbers continue to go in the wrong direction,” the official said. “His Just Visiting Express was supposed to turn things around and be a big fundraising opportunity for them.”
The Liberal Party president was less expansive. “All I can say is we are on budget and in the black,” Alfred Apps said Tuesday.
One Liberal was more forthcoming, allowing that the numbers were “dismal.” The veteran MP told The Globe: “The party has to still find its sea legs.”
The financial returns, reported on the Elections Canada website, show that the Conservatives received the $4-million in donations from 36,744 contributors compared to 16,619 contributors for the Liberals. In the last quarter the Grits had 17,064 contributors.
The NDP, meanwhile, raised almost as much as the Liberals –_$1.13-million from 12,643 donors. In the previous quarter, New Democrats raised just $747,136.
