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OTTAWA – Federal Conservative, Liberal and Green parties all boasted record fundraising hauls as they headed into an election year, but the New Democrats continued to struggle to raise money.

According to financial returns filed with Elections Canada, the Conservatives raked in $7.4 million in the last three months of 2018 – the best fourth quarter result the party has ever recorded. That puts their total for last year at $24.3 million, the party’s best ever haul in a non-election year.

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The governing Liberals were close behind, pulling in $6.4 million in the last three months of 2018 – their best fourth quarter result in a non-election year. Overall last year, the party pulled in $16.6 million.

Even the Greens were able to make their own fundraising history. They brought in almost $1.5 million in the last three months of the year for a total annual take of $3.1 million – representing the party’s best fourth quarter ever and best overall non-election year haul.

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1:27 UCP raised nearly twice as much money as NDP UCP raised nearly twice as much money as NDP

By contrast, the NDP pulled in $1.97 million in the last three months of 2018, its lowest fourth quarter result in eight years. The party took in just under $5.2 million for the entire year, only slightly better than the dismal $4.9 million the NDP raised in 2017, which represented its worst yearly result since 2011.

The results are a far cry from 2015, an election year in which the NDP was thought to be a real contender for power. The party raked in $18.6 million that year.