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NDP keeps healthy lead on BC United, but Conservatives show huge 2023 donation boost

John Rustad and the Conservatives saw a surge in donations in the fourth quarter of 2023 when compared to the previous year
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The next scheduled provincial election is Oct. 19. | Mitch Diamond/The Image Bank/Getty Images

The BC NDP finished 2023 with almost $4.55 million in donations. 

Premier David Eby’s party out-raised opposition leader Kevin Falcon’s BC United, which counted $2.978 million in donations for the year.

According to Elections BC returns released Thursday, the NDP took in $1.89 million between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, better than the BC United’s $1.178 million. The BC Greens reported $535,994.05 in the fourth quarter and Conservatives $299,820.20. 

The NDP’s total exceeded 2022, when they took in $4.01 million. BC United, who were the BC Liberals until last April, improved by $448,000 over the previous year’s $2.53 million. 

The Sonia Furstenau-led BC Greens, buoyed by a $535,994.05 fourth quarter, finished at $1.197 million, up from $1.075 million in 2022. 

But the big movers were John Rustad and the Conservatives. Their 2023 fourth quarter revenue was a whopping 1,802 per cent better than the scant $15,732.16 from the same period in 2022. In fact, the Conservatives reported only $84,960.98 in donations for all of 2022 under previous leader Trevor Bolin. 

The 2023 ceiling on individual donations to each registered party, including candidates and constituency associations, was $1,401.40. The 2024 cap is $1,450.82.

The half-year, taxpayer-funded allowance payments, based on $1.75 per 2020 vote formula, were most recently paid Jan. 15: $813,037.52 to the NDP, $575,713.94 to BC United, $257,156.66 to the BC Greens and $32,491.31 to the Conservatives. 

The next instalment is July 15. 

Falcon hosted the Vancouver Leader’s Dinner at the Floata banquet hall in Chinatown on Wednesday. Eby and his party are holding a fundraiser in Surrey on Feb. 4 at Aria.

The next scheduled election is Oct. 19.