The Progressive Conservatives are narrowing the fundraising gap between them and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals, who still lead the pack in donations as of mid-May, the most recent data available from Elections Ontario.
By the second week of May, the Liberals had raised $4.5 million so far this year, the PCs just over $3 million and the NDP $1.1 million. (A month earlier, Liberal fundraisers had brought in more than the PCs and NDP combined.)
The average Liberal donor is still significantly more generous than donors for either opposition party.
Despite their anyone-but-Hudak advertising, unions are still giving proportionally more to the NDP. Corporations are giving proportionately more to the PCs. Both unions and companies made sure to give to the incumbent Liberals, however, as did hundreds of organizations whose businesses intersect with government, from the Ontario Council of Painters to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs.
Contributions to the parties’ campaign funds election can still be accepted until December 12; a full picture of donations will be available in mid-January of next year.
Parties have two weeks to report donations, and Elections Ontario has another two weeks to post them. Donations could be reported or published before the deadline; for accurate comparison, our numbers only look at the period before May 12. But our infographic includes publicly reported donations made after that date.
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