Mark Carney has surged ahead in the Liberal Party of Canada leadership race fundraising, raising an impressive $1.9 million from 11,260 contributions, according to newly released Elections Canada data. However, rival candidate Chrystia Freeland is pushing back on the numbers, claiming they do not fully reflect her campaign’s actual financial standing.
Freeland’s team asserts that her true fundraising total is closer to $600,000, rather than the $226,661 reported in the Elections Canada filing for the period ending February 9. Katherine Cuplinskas, a spokesperson for Freeland’s campaign, explained that the discrepancy is due to the campaign choosing to let the Liberal Party hold onto a portion of its funds to avoid credit card and wire transfer fees.
According to Elections Canada, the fundraising totals so far are:
- Mark Carney – $1.9 million (11,260 contributions)
- Karina Gould – $236,075 (1,375 contributions)
- Frank Baylis – $227,441
- Chrystia Freeland – $226,661
- Ruby Dhalla – $144,880
Despite the official numbers, Freeland’s campaign maintains that the data “doesn’t tell the whole story.”
Carney’s campaign has received backing from prominent Liberal insiders from the Justin Trudeau era, including:
- Gerry Butts (Trudeau’s former principal secretary)
- Elder Marques and Cyrus Reporter (former PMO advisors)
- Stephen Bronfman (Liberal Party chief revenue officer and longtime Trudeau ally)
- Former cabinet ministers Bill Morneau and Scott Brison, both of whom donated the maximum $1,750
Even former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff split his support, donating to both Carney and Freeland.
Freeland’s campaign opted not to receive direct contributions from the party to manage expenses efficiently. The Liberal Party confirmed that it sometimes withholds funds to cover contest fees or administrative expenses, which explains the discrepancy in reported fundraising totals.
Despite lagging in fundraising, Freeland’s team remains confident, stating that her campaign has held nearly ten fundraisers so far.
Carney has been actively fundraising across Canada, with events already held in Vancouver and Ottawa. This week, he is on a campaign swing through southern Ontario, attending fundraisers in Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto, and Woodbridge.
Meanwhile, Gould’s campaign expressed satisfaction with its fundraising progress, stating that their numbers confirm growing momentum on the ground.
With the Liberal leadership vote scheduled for March 9, the next round of fundraising data—set to be released just days before the vote—could provide further insight into each candidate’s standing.