Tories beating Liberals in Ontario, Quebec donations
National Post – May 10, 2010
By Glen McGregor

The Conservative party's fundraising machine has outperformed the Liberals' in Ontario so far this year and pulled even in Quebec, the latest Elections Canada data show.

While the amount of money donated to the two federal parties dropped in the first quarter of 2010, an analysis of contribution reports shows the Tories continue to raise more cash in the traditional Liberal stronghold provinces.

From contributors who gave more than $200, the Tories boosted their take in every province, except for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, compared to last year.

"On issues that are important to Canadians, like the economy and getting tough on crime, this is a clear sign that people approve of the job the Conservative government is doing," said Conservative party spokesman Fred DeLorey in an email.

At the same time, total contributions from these larger-value donors to the Liberals fell in all but three provinces.

Liberals saw a $100,000 drop in funds raised in Quebec during the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2009. Over the reporting period, larger donations to the Liberals from Quebec dropped to $85,000, while the Tories bumped up by about 53% to pull close to even.

In Ontario, the total cash the Liberals raised from larger donors fell by 23% to $409,000, while the Tories rose slightly to $587,000.

The figures do not include contributions from donors who gave less than $200, which are not published by Elections Canada.

The fundraising data could come as humbling news to Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who needs to win back seats – and fill up his campaign war chest – in Ontario and Quebec if his party is to form the government again.

"This is the third straight quarter they've seen a decline in their numbers," Mr. De-Lorey said.

"When Stephane Dion was leader he never experienced three quarters of decline like this. This says a lot about Ignatieff 's leadership."

Indeed, the Tories took in more than the Liberals in 211 ridings across the country, while the Liberals won out in 84 ridings, a geographic breakdown of contribution data show. The Conservatives raked in more in safe Liberal ridings, such as Montreal's Mount Royal and Ottawa South, where donors gave $22,000 to the Tories and $7,200 to the Liberals.

While the amount of money raised from smaller donations fell off for both parties in the quarter compared to last year, the overall success of the Conservatives suggests the Liberals remain hamstrung by changes to election-finance law.

Through the Federal Accountability Act, the government lowered the cap on campaign contributions from $5,000 to the current limit of $1,100.

The Liberals had traditionally relied on fewer donors to make large contributions, while the Tories took more small donations.

As bad as the data seem for the Liberals, the first-quarter returns show a surge in financial support for the New Democrats. The party posted a 67% year-over-year increase in funds raised in British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan.