UCP claims fundraising win in first quarter of '22
After more than a year of trailing the NDP in fundraising, United Conservative Party officials say they're back on top in the first three months of the year, the first quarter under updated campaign finance laws.
Reports published online by Elections Alberta Wednesday show New Democrats collected slightly more than $1 million in donations in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the United Conservatives' approximately $888,000. However, legislation passed late last year means constituency associations only have to report their fundraising annually and are no longer part of the quarterly reports.
The UCP says that with $375,909 donated to constituency associations it actually out-fundraised the NDP, which does not collect donations through its associations.
“After balancing the budget, lowering taxes for families, lifting public health restrictions, and continuing the fight for a fair deal, conservatives are excited about re-electing a UCP government next year,” UCP spokesperson Dave Prisco said in an email.
The NDP, meanwhile, says claims regarding money raised through constituency associations cannot be trusted since they can't be independently confirmed under the new rules, which the government passed in the name of reducing red tape.
“The UCP claimed their volunteers aren't capable of quarterly reports to Elections Alberta, but now they claim they are capable of quarterly reports to party headquarters,” Alberta NDP provincial secretary Brandon Stevens said in a statement.
According to the Elections Alberta documents, 63 per cent of the NDP'S money came from donations of $250 or less, compared to about half of the UCP'S total.
The NDP had exceeded the UCP in fundraising for five consecutive quarters since the fourth quarter of 2020, when it broke a party record for fundraising outside of an election year.
Far behind the two leading parties, Wednesday's Elections Alberta documents showed the Pro-life Alberta Political Association raised about $68,000 in the first quarter of 2022, the Alberta Party $29,000, the Liberal Party of Alberta just under $20,000 and the Wildrose Independence Party just over $14,000.