Liberals Raise More Than Conservatives in Third Quarter
The Liberal Party raised $4.9-million in the third quarter of 2026, ahead of the Conservative Party's $3.9-million, according to Elections Canada records published on Friday, as The Globe and Mail reported.
The order was reversed in the second quarter. The Conservatives raised $5-million in those months, and the Liberals raised $4.3-million. Parties file quarterly financial returns with Elections Canada, the federal agency that runs elections and oversees political money. The returns list contributions, loans, transfers and by-election expenses. Elections Canada's political financing calendar lists March 18 as the date for the parties' quarterly returns for the fourth quarter of 2026.
Earlier in the year, the Conservatives raised a record $48.4-million from supporters in 2025, but ended that year in debt, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Liberals hold a majority government with 173 seats, which means they have enough seats to pass bills without the support of another party. There are currently six vacancies in the House of Commons, the lower chamber of Parliament. Several of those seats are being contested in by-elections, which are votes held to fill a seat between general elections.
In the past week, the Liberals nominated candidates for four ridings in Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. A riding is a local electoral district. In Yorkton-Melville, Saskatchewan, the Liberals named Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle as their candidate on Thursday. The Conservative candidate there is Nelson Pohl, a farmer and small-business owner. The Conservatives won the riding in the last election with 77 per cent of the vote.
The Liberals also named businessman James Li as their candidate in Scarborough-North, in Toronto.
In Brantford-Brant South, Ontario, Conservative MP Larry Brock resigned earlier this fall. Pierre Poilievre appointed Kevin Davis as the Conservative candidate instead of holding an open nomination race, a contest in which local party members choose the candidate. Dave Carrol has announced he will run as an independent in the riding.
Three other ridings have a previous holder on record. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie was held by the NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe–Bagot–Acton by the Bloc Québécois, and Laurier–Sainte-Marie by former Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault.
Public opinion is also moving. In its latest Federal Tracker, Liaison Strategies reported that the Liberal lead had narrowed to 13 points. The tracker put Mark Carney's approval at 65 per cent. In Alberta, it recorded Conservative support at 43 per cent and Liberal support at 42 per cent. The Conservatives gained for a third straight update in the tracker.
