OTTAWA: New fundraising numbers show the Conservatives trounced the governing Liberals in the first three months of 2018 _ and suggest the Tories are chugging along with a strong head of steam heading into next year’s federal election.
The Conservatives raked in more than $6 million in donations from 40,000 donors between January and March, far outpacing the 29,000 donors who gave $3.3 million to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
The figures, provided to The Canadian Press by the two respective parties, come as some public-opinion polls suggest the Liberals are suffering from a mid-mandate slump.
While the Liberals have been able to narrow the gap in recent years, the Conservatives have nonetheless traditionally pulled in more money.
But the most recent result was one of the best by a federal party in the first quarter of a non-election year in recent history, suggesting extra momentum for the Conservatives under leader Andrew Scheer.
The federal NDP has yet to reveal its fundraising numbers, which could provide an assessment of whether Canadians are choosing to embrace new leader Jagmeet Singh.