'These numbers are shocking': Alberta NDP doubles UCP in 2021 Q2 fundraising
The Official Opposition in Alberta fundraised double that of the reigning provincial party during the second quarter of 2021.
Elections Alberta released contribution reporting for April to June that shows the New Democratic Party (NDP) raising more than $1.5 million while the United Conservative Party (UCP) raised approximately $715,886.
The NDP continued their streak of raising more funds than the UCP. The party has out-fundraised the UCP since first quarter 2020. The opposition raised more than $5 million in 2020 while the UCP gathered around $3.7 million.
In 2019, the UCP raised more than the NDP every quarter, with an annual total of around $6.4 million while the NPD raised approximately $5.5 million.
'UNPRECEDENTED' RESULTS
“The reason why we look at (donations) is they give us a good indication of how broad based a party’s support is,” Melanee Thomas, political scientist and associate professor at the University of Calgary, told CTV News in an interview.
For Thomas, contributions of $250 and less are an important indicator of support as they can show everyday people making decisions to financially support a political party.
“That is a form of political participation. Usually when people think about political participation, they think it is only about voting,” she added. “(Donating) is important as it is literally somebody saying, I care enough about politics to put my money into it.”
According to Elections Canada reporting, the NDP have raised $1.3 million in donations from contributions of $250 and under. The UCP have raised more than $437,000.
“These numbers are shocking,” Thomas said. “This is unprecedented for Canadian politics.
“In our system the party in government has all the resources, they control the political agenda, they get to dominate the news,” the political scientist added. “For the Official Opposition to double the party in government if I were that party in government, I would be very concerned about these numbers.
“The party in opposition out-fundraises the government, this is weird,” Thomas said. “This does not happen.”
The United Conservative Party did not respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, the NDP said they have raised more money in the second quarter than the UCP has in all of 2021.
“With each passing day, more Albertans are frustrated with Jason Kenney and his UCP government,” said Rachel Notley, leader of the official opposition.
“He ran on a promise of jobs and economic growth, and over halfway through his mandate, he has failed to deliver on any of those promises,” Notley added. “We’ll continue to bring forward a positive vision for Alberta’s future. One that diversifies our economy and creates good jobs for Albertans while recognizing the vital role of the public service and rejecting the race to the bottom.”
The NDP say they had 14,811 total donors, including 2,462 who were first time donors. The average donation amount was $42.43.
Premier Jason Kenney had the lowest approval rating among Canadian premiers, according to Angus Reid polling released in June. When Kenney took office in June 2019, his approval was 61 per cent. In June this year his approval rating was at 31 per cent.
- Kenney's approval rating lowest in the country: Angus Reid poll
- More Albertans dissatisfied with provincial pandemic response: new poll
- Kenney's approval rating continues to slide as pandemic progresses: poll
The next provincial election is slated for between March and May of 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.