Parties Rake in Millions in Donations Despite Pandemic, Padding Campaign War Chests

Voters head to cast their ballot in Canada's federal election at the Fairbanks Interpretation Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., on October 21, 2019. Federal parties appear to have seen a drop in their fundraising figures in 2020, in a year when the pandemic dented donations of all kinds. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

OTTAWA—Federal parties appear to have seen a drop in their fundraising in 2020, a year when the pandemic dented donations of all kinds and made parties rethink some of their traditional fundraising tools.

The Conservatives’ return shows the party pulled in more than $20.6 million from almost 91,000 donors in 2020, down from the over $30.8 million contributed by nearly 124,00 people one year prior.