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Saturday’s UCP leadership vote wraps up Phase 3 of the greatest fundraising binge in Alberta’s political history.

Donations have been avidly courted, and happily received, for three successive drives: the Progressive Conservative leadership contest, then the push for PC unity with Wildrose, and now by three leadership contestants for the United Conservative Party.

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The amounts collected aren’t fully reported, but the total for all these campaigns is likely to be $5 million at least.

We’re unlikely ever to see complete totals because this whole period has coincided with the rise of a Canadian version of the U.S. political action committee.

We tend to call them Third Party Advertisers, which is ridiculous, because if these fundraising machines don’t advertise they are not required to report anything to Elections Alberta. Not one detail. Not even their existence.

These U.S.-style PACs exist on both the right and left sides of Alberta’s political spectrum, potentially raising cash from both corporations and unions, which is prohibited for formal campaigns.