Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen in the House of Commons in a file photo. iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood

TORONTO—The threat that Canada Proud poses to the federal Liberals is rallying Grit supporters and boosting the party’s bottom line, according to numbers released by the Liberals.

On Thursday, iPolitics reported on the new federal political action group that’s aimed at ousting the Liberals from power. Canada Proud, is the federal offshoot of a conservative group that started in Ontario with Ontario Proud.

Its online presence and ads are credited with helping the Progressive Conservatives oust the provincial Liberals from government after 15 years in power.

[READ MORE: Ontario Proud launches Canada Proud with aim of taking down Trudeau]

The federal Liberals sent out a fundraising email on Thursday citing the iPolitics story and asking supporters to help bolster their own war chest.

“Whether it’s Ontario Proud or Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives, it’s clear that our opponents will do everything they can to stand in the way of real progress, to make pollution free again, and to defeat Justin Trudeau,” read the email.

That one email brought in more than $25,000 for the party according to spokesperson Braeden Caley.

More generally, Caley said the party’s online fundraising has “jumped by 200% this month compared to the same month last year, and much of that jump has come in the week since reporting about Ontario Proud and other third party groups seeking to ‘take down’ or ‘oust’ Justin Trudeau.”

In an email, Canada Proud founder Jeff Ballingall said his group raised $15,000 from small donors since iPolitics reported on the launch of the federal organization.

The Liberals are still well-outpaced by the Conservatives in fundraising, though. With six month to go before the next election, the latest results show the Tories raised more than $8 million in the first quarter of this year — compared to the $3.9 million raised by the Liberals.

The Conservative fundraising figure is a record, according to the party. In a statement, the Tories said the last record was set in the first quarter of 2011. That time the party raised $7.3 million and then went on to form a majority government, after governing in two minorities.

The NDP said it raised over $1.2 million in the first quarter of this year. The party said if you set aside last year’s convention revenue, it raised 20 per cent more in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018.

The Green Party of Canada says it too has reached a new high; in the first quarter of this year it raised $783,278. Party spokesperson Rosie Emery said that’s up 15 per cent over the first quarter in the 2015 election year and up 44 per cent from last year’s first quarter.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated after the NDP provided its fundraising numbers late Tuesday evening.

Follow @MariekeWalsh