The Conservative Party spent big to get Kootenay-Columbia MP Rob Morrison elected in the last federal election.
Campaign financial returns submitted to Elections Canada for the Oct. 21, 2019, election show Morrison received $114,789.34 from the Kootenay-Columbia Conservative Association.
Elections Canada required candidates to submit their campaign expenses by June 30. Those expenses show Morrison had a total of $115,011.29 to spend on his campaign, of which he spent $113,373.71 to unseat NDP incumbent Wayne Stetski.
Stetski had $106,969.25 to fund his campaign, of which $89,139.25 came from the NDP.
Stetski also received $17,830 from 92 contributors, although two of those were Stetski himself and his wife Audrey who put in $900.
A receipt provided by the Kootenay-Columbia Conservative Association meanwhile shows Morrison contributed $1,300 to his campaign.
Morrison won the riding with 30,168 votes ahead of Stetski, who ended up spending $93,539.85 and finished second with 23,149 votes.
None of Kootenay-Columbia’s six candidates spent to the allowed limit of $145,436.06, which was the highest of any election riding in Canada.
Elections Canada determines expense limits by considering the number of candidates and geographic areas where the number of candidates per square kilometre is less than 10.
Liberal Party candidate Robin Goldsbury, who finished third behind Stetski, had a budget of $31,368.89 with four contributors funding $6,800 for her campaign.
Abra Brynne of the Green Party had $27,380.25 to spend, of which over $6,500 came from 46 contributors.
Rick Stewart of the People’s Party of Canada meanwhile had a budget of $6,135.44, while Trev Miller of the Animal Protection Party funded his campaign with $4,892.36.
@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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