First Reading is a daily newsletter keeping you posted on the travails of Canadian politicos, all curated by the National Post’s own Tristin Hopper. To get an early version sent directly to your inbox, sign up here.

As the Trudeau government continues to stave off an election despite ever-plummeting public support, one clue as to how may be that the parties keeping them in power are too broke to afford a campaign.  

The NDP, in particular, counted less than $300,000 in cash in its most recent audited financial statements. At the close of 2023, the party had cash assets of just $289,808.

This is the exact opposite of the Conservatives, who are sitting on more money than they could ever legally spend in a campaign. Their cash reserves at the end of 2023 stood at $16,197,685.

In a social media post this week, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto said the contrasting cash reserves of the major parties were a clue as to “the dynamics of (Canadian politics) today and the likelihood of an election.”