Ontario Liberals outpace PCs, NDP in donations

Kathleen Wynne's Ontario Liberal fundraising machine was working at full throttle in 2015, outpacing both the ProgressiveConservatives and theNew Democratsby millions of dollars, according to new financial statements obtained by CBC News.

The documents show donors gave the Liberals $9.2 million in 2015, more than double what the PCs raised and more than triple the amount of the NDP.

This puts the Liberals in the financial driver's seat heading towards the June 2018 election,as pending reforms will make it much harder for the parties to raise large sums,starting inJanuary 2017.

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The figures are revealed in the parties' 2015 financialstatements, submitted this week to Elections Ontario. The documentsare not yet available online, and can only be viewed at Elections Ontario headquarters in Toronto.

Preliminary figures compiled by CBC News in April hadsuggested the Liberals were millions of dollars ahead in the fundraising game. The newly-filed financial statements confirm their lead.

The documents show the Liberals raised a total of$9,155,173 in donations in 2015, includingfundraising during byelection campaigns inSudbury and Simcoe North. Contributions to thePCs for the yeartotaled$4,360,600, while the NDP amassed$2,836,614 from donors.

Wynne's partycontinues to outpace its rivals at fundraisingin 2016.Data from Elections Ontario compiled by CBC News show the Liberals have declared $3.3 million in donations so far this year, the PCs $1.7 million and the NDP $613,000.

The Liberals' 2015 fundraising efforts have helped the party whittle away the deficit the party ran up duringthe 2014 election campaign, putting them in better financialshape thanthe opposition parties.

The documents show the OntarioLiberal Party's deficit at the end of 2015as$2.9 million. The PCs' shortfall stands at $6.1 million and the NDP'sat $4.9 million.

The new financial statements show the Liberals spent muchmore than their rivals to keep their party machinery afloat in 2015, a non-election year. The party's expenses totaled$8.4 million, including $1.8 million on salaries and benefits and $1.1 million on advertising.

The PCs spent $4.6 million, including $684,000 on salaries and benefits and $215,000 on advertising. The NDP's expenses totalled$3.1 million, with $954,000 on salaries and benefits and just $2,800 on advertising

After controversy over high-priced fundraising events offering access to cabinet ministers for donations to the Liberal party, the Wynne governmentput forward legislation that would ban companiesand unions from donating to all Ontario political parties.

The bill, currently before the Legislature, would alsoreduce the maximum amount an individual can donate to any one partyannually orduring a campaign period from the current limit of $9.975 to $1,550.

The legislation also proposes ataxpayer-funded subsidy to the parties that would total some $10.5 million annually, split according to the proportion of votes the parties received in the last election.