The Liberal Party raised the most money it ever has outside of an election year in the last six months of 2018 but still trailed the Conservatives in collecting fundraising dollars.

The Liberals obtained $15,893,919 in contributions in 2018, according to a party spokesperson, which is more than they raised in 2017, but several hundred thousand dollars short of what the party pulled in from supporters in 2016.

The Conservatives had $24,432,466 in donations last year, according to a copy of the party’s financial return.

In the year before the last election, 2014, the Liberals received about $400,000 less in contributions than they did in 2018. The same year, the Conservatives received $20,093,178 in contributions.

Liberal spokesperson Parker Lund said in an email the party started 2019 “strong,” citing fundraising figures and showings in early year byelections, highlighted by a victory in previously NDP-held Outremont in February. Lund also said that the party now has more “actively monthly” donors than they ever have during the party’s history.

Conservatives have regularly beaten Liberals in total revenue over the past decade, having collected more money in every year since 2006, when the Liberals raised about $1.2 million more than the Conservatives. Stephen Harper was elected as prime minister in January of that year, after 13 years of Liberal governments.

The Conservatives also regularly spend more on fundraising, having more than doubled the Liberals in fundraising expenses every year since 2015. The Conservatives were about $100,000 short of doubling the Liberals’ fundraising costs in 2014 as well.

Lund said that the difference in fundraising costs shows that “Liberal supporters are getting far more value for their donations than Conservatives – and we expect 2018 to be no different.”

Hann called the Conservatives high fundraising costs just “one line item of an entire financial statement.”

“The true health of a political party can only be determined by the total amount it has raised in comparison to the total amount it has spent,” Hann said.

The Conservatives spent $8,474,802 on fundraising in 2018 and $7,189,100 in 2017. The Liberals spent $2,702,363 on fundraising in 2017. Lund did not share the Liberals 2018 fundraising expenses in an email about the party’s annual return on Friday.

Federal parties have to file their annual financial returns with Elections Canada by July 2. iPolitics asked the NDP and Green Party to provide information about their 2018 annual financial returns on Friday, but neither did. Elections Canada publishes the returns after they receive them. Parties are also allowed to receive extensions past the July 2 deadline.

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