Ontario Progressive Conservatives raised $12.6M in 2016, double the Liberals' tally

A loophole in Ontario's campaign finance legislation,now closed, enabled the Progressive Conservatives to fundraise $12.6million last year nearly double what the governing Liberalscollected.

The Liberals' decision not to take advantage of the loopholeduring two of the province's three byelection periods last year costthem dearly.

The Tories, who unapologetically used the loophole to theiradvantage while they could, raised $7.4 million during those twobyelection periods.

Funds helped wipe out party debt

The PCs' $12.6-million total wipes out the party's debt, lettingthem start the year before the election in the black as are theLiberals. It also leaves the Tories with a well-stocked war chest ata time when all Ontario political parties face a new fundraisingreality that bans corporate or union donations, as well as prohibitsMPPs from attending fundraisers.

Elections Ontario filings also show the province's three majorparties reaped the benefits of last-minute fundraising pushes beforethe rules changed Jan. 1, collecting a total of $2.2 million in the final week of the year alone.

The old rules allowed individuals, corporations and unions todonate $9,975 to a party each year, but they were also allowed todonate the same amount during a byelection period.

• Kathleen Wynne promises to close byelection fundraising loophole

• Ontario Liberals raised $1.6M for just one byelection

The Liberals raised $2.6 million during the Whitby-Oshawabyelection, but after they came under fire for the loophole, theysaid they wouldn't make further use of it, passing up extrafundraising during the Scarborough-Rouge River vote and the NiagaraWest-Glanbrook and Ottawa-Vanier byelections. The latter two were onthe same day and count as one byelection period for fundraising.

Together with their donations under the annual allowable amounts,the Liberals raised a total of $6.5 million in 2016.

The Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, raised $3.1 millionunder the annual amounts. They also raised:

• $2 million for Whitby-Oshawa,
• $3.9 millionfor Scarborough-Rouge River,
• $3.6 million for NiagaraWest-Glanbrook and Ottawa-Vanier.

Rules allowed them to continue tocollect until three months after the vote itself.

The NDP raised $3.2 million in annual amounts. They also raised the following, for a total of $3.4 million:

• $53,000 forWhitby-Oshawa,
• $60,000 for Scarborough-Rouge River,
• $55,000 forthe Niagara and Ottawa byelections.

New rules help parties stay afloat

Under the new rules, the parties get per-vote subsidies to helpthem stay afloat in at least the first few years without corporateand union donations. The Liberals will get $5.1 million in 2017,while the Tories will get $4.1 million and the NDP will get $3.1million. The amounts will drop in each subsequent year.

The new rules cap individual contributions to a registered partyat $1,200, or $3,600 in an election year. They also ban politiciansfrom attending fundraising events, presenting parties with anadditional challenge of raising money without the benefit of drawingin donors using face time with an elected official.

The Liberal government introduced legislation amid acash-for-access scandal in which it was harshly criticized over fundraising events that saw cabinet ministers attend private,high-priced functions with stakeholders.