OTTAWA - Penny-pinching Canadians cut smaller cheques to political parties over the summer, new numbers show.
The latest financial returns published Wednesday by Elections Canada show every party took a hit to the pocketbook between July and September as fewer people made donations.
Even the vaunted Conservative money machine ran in a lower gear than it has during previous periods, although the governing party once again outpaced its political rivals.
The Tories raised nearly $3.1 million from 29,155 donors in the third quarter of the year.
That's down from the $8.2 million they raised from 52,805 donors the previous quarter, when fundraising was in overdrive during the lead-up to the May 2 federal election.
The Liberals may now be the third party in Parliament, but they're second when it comes to raising money. The Grits raised $1.3 million from 17,858 donors in the third quarter of the year. They raised $3.6 million in the second quarter from 28,269 donors.
New Democrats still lag the Liberals in fundraising. The NDP raised $880,766 in the latest quarter from 14,048 donors, down from the almost $3.1 million that 22,809 people gave them the quarter before.
The death of Jack Layton touched off a flurry of third-quarter donations.
Between July 1 and the July 25 news conference where a gaunt and raspy-voiced Layton announced he had a new form of cancer, the NDP raised $19,800.
The party raised $58,263 between the news conference and Layton's death on Aug. 22.
After he died, the NDP raised $90,351.
Only donations of $200 or more appear in Elections Canada's donor database.
The Bloc Quebecois was trounced at the polls and in the pocketbook. The party raised just $18,551 in the third quarter, down from $438,551 in the previous quarter.
Donors also deserted the Bloc. Only 293 people gave them money this quarter, down from 4,464 people the one before.
