🚀 go-pugleaf

And yet no announcement that the liberal party is out of debt.

"Robert Peffers" <auldbobpeffers2u@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ad8c77f0-3bb4-48f3-b77f-8fe6b2114d01@v2g2000vbb.googlegroups.com...
Liberals' donations triple so far this year

Jul 30, 2009 08:02 PM
Joan Bryden
THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA-For the first time in years, the federal Liberals are giving
the Tories a run for their money when it comes to fundraising.

During the second quarter of 2009, Liberals pulled in $3.878 million -
a whisker short of the $3.957 million raked in by the cash-hoovering
Conservatives.

Overall this year, Liberals have amassed $5.7 million in donations,
more than triple their take during same period last year.

The Conservatives have pulled in $8.3 million so far, down slightly
from 2008.

"We still have a lot of work to do but it's definitely cause for
optimism and reason to believe we can do it," said Rocco Rossi, the
Liberal party's national director.

"We're clearly learning how to deal with the new rules, finally, and
we have a leader that's exciting enough interest to take advantage of
that."

The Liberals, the party most reliant on big donations from
corporations and wealthy individuals in the past, have struggled
financially since 2004. That's when corporate donations were banned
and strict limits were imposed on the amounts individuals can donate.

The Conservatives, with a long tradition of raising small amounts from
tens of thousands of donors, have thrived under the new regime, which
they tightened even further in 2006.

Last year, the Tories raked in $21.2 million, more than triple the
Liberals' $5.9 million.

The Liberals have been closing the gap since Michael Ignatieff took
over the helm in December from the unpopular St�phane Dion. He brought
in Rossi, a renowned and innovative fundraiser, in January.

Rossi personally raised about $23,000 for the party this week with a
kayak expedition up the Rideau canal.

Rossi acknowledged that the latest Liberal results include about $1
million in fees collected from members who attended the party's
Vancouver convention in May. Most of that money went to pay for the
cost of the convention.

The second quarter financial results for federal parties were posted
late Thursday by Elections Canada.

Other parties pulled in far less money than either the Conservatives
or Liberals.

The NDP raised $711,269, the Bloc Quebecois $68,969 and the Greens
$192,350.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/674437