(Ottawa) The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) raised the most money among all federal political parties in 2021, bringing in $26.4 million in donations.
Posted at 8:05 a.m.
This amount was raised despite the party’s tumultuous year that ended in an election defeat and later the departure of leader Erin O’Toole.
Audited financial statements filed with Elections Canada show the amount raised by the Conservatives was just under $6 million higher than the amount raised in 2020. The number of people who donated money to the Conservative Party increased last year was 95,000, about 5,000 more than the previous year.
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) reported 18.1 million from 75,800 donors, about 3 million more than in 2020.
The Bloc Québécois (BQ) raised about half a million more in 2021, with 11,300 donors giving a total of 2 million.
The annual statements of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Green Party are not yet available.
The Conservative Party and Liberal Party also took on significant borrowing in 2021, with the Liberals borrowing $30 million from six lenders and the Conservatives a $29 million loan which was repaid in full in early 2022.
The audited financial statements cover the year ending December 31 and include the 36-day election campaign during which the parties stepped up their advertising, with the Bloc spending 1.5 million, the Conservatives 8.8 million and the Liberals 15 .41 million.