The United Conservative Party (UCP) had its best fundraising quarter since former premier Jason Kenney’s pandemic crackdown.
The party raised $974,640 in the third financial quarter, from July-September, during the leadership race to replace Kenney. That’s the most the UCP raised since the third financial quarter in 2021 — which ended just one week after the former premier implemented a vaccine passport.
Meanwhile, the Alberta NDP once again surpassed the UCP in fundraising efforts, raising $1,435,563 in the third financial quarter.
Prolife Alberta came third with $51,126. Prolife Alberta doesn’t typically run candidates in political elections, but seeks to promote pro-life issues through policy and politics.
The UCP’s third quarter financial report does not include the $175,000 raised by seven leadership candidates. The first $150,000 covered the cost of the leadership race, while the remaining $25,000 was a refundable deposit for compliance with the contest rules.
Leadership victor Danielle Smith, who replaced Kenney, and leadership runner-up Travis Toews fundraised over $1 million each for their leadership campaigns.
The NDP have been out-fundraising the UCP since 2020. That year, the Opposition raised $5,061,979, beating the UCP by about $15,000.
The UCP’s shrinking fundraising numbers came amid a drop in Kenney’s approval ratings. The premier’s popularity plummeted amid repeated lockdowns, vaccine mandates and a vaccine passport system, which he promised never to implement.
During the first quarter in 2021, the NDP fundraised $1,186,245 while the UCP raised just $591,597. In the second quarter, the NDP raised more than $1.5 million while the UCP raised $769,847.
In the 2021 third quarter, the NDP raised $1,367,080 and the UCP raised $1,235,482. Just six days before that quarter came to an end, on Sept. 30, Alberta’s proof of vaccination system came into effect.
The UCP raised $887,941 in the first quarter of 2022, and just $521,175 in the second quarter which was also impacted by the leadership race.
Kenney announced he would resign in May, after barely surviving a leadership review, triggering the race to replace him. He cited lasting anger over his pandemic policy as a reason for his early exit.
Last month, UCP members elected Smith who took a critical stance of Kenney’s pandemic policy and of Alberta Health Services for enacting radical public health orders. Smith has promised never to lockdown the province and to end discrimination on the basis of vaccination status.
Since being sworn in as premier, she’s apologized to the province’s unvaccinated workers — the first apology of its kind from an elected leader.
