I've just finished making a pass-through, updating the database with the latest version of each candidate's 2008 financial return information from Elections Canada. Both the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives are substantially through the review process, while the Liberals, Greens and NDP returns are taking longer for Elections Canada to get through.

This increases substantially from last time the number of 2008 candidate returns in the Pundits' Guide database, meaning that the summary financial data on the Browse Parties page for this election is starting to be a lot more reliable. For example, we can now see that:

• With 9 returns yet to be filed or entered into the Elections Canada database, the Liberals seem to have spent around 50% of their 2008 candidate spending limits overall, which is down roughly 10 percentage points from 2006, and down 25 percentage points from 2004. Fewer than 1 in 3 of their candidates spent over 75% of the limit in 2008, unlike 2006 when over half their candidates ran fully-funded campaigns. And while just over 50% of their candidates spent over 50% the limit in 2008, that metric is down from 87% in 2004.
• With 7 returns yet to be filed or entered into the Elections Canada database, the NDP was on track to spend around 25% of its 2008 candidate spending limits overall, roughly the same as in both 2004 and 2006. 36/308 candidates spent over 75% of the spending limit in their riding, while 66 spent over 50% (up slightly from 54 in 2004 and 61 in 2006).
• With 12 returns yet to be filed or entered into the Elections Canada database, the Green Party looks to have more than doubled its candidate spending in 2008, moving from 3% or so in both 2004 and 2006 to some 7% in 2008. 4/303 candidates spent greater than 75% of the limit, while 7/303 spent 50% or more.
• All the Bloc Québécois returns are filed, and all but 15/75 have already been reviewed. Their spending patterns were not significantly different in 2008 from 2006.
• With just 1 return yet to be filed or entered into the Elections Canada database, the Conservatives again dominated candidate election spending, and in fact increased their own percent spent from 69% in 2006 to 72% or more in 2008. Fully 170/308 of their candidates spent 75% of the riding spending limit or more (the same number as in 2006), with 248/307 spending 50% of the limit or more.
  

As more returns move from "as submitted" to "as reviewed" status and I get a chance to enter the amended figures, we'll have an even clearer picture of what the candidates spent and where.

Remember that this is candidate spending, according to the candidate financial returns, and is in addition to the central spending done by party headquarters and already reported by them six months after Election Day. In the Browse Parties financial table, the national spending is on the left, and doesn't change as you drill down further by region, while the candidate spending is found on the right, and does show regional subsets as you drill down.

# of Candidate Returns by Status, by Party, 2008 General Election

Party	Party Name	Not In	As Sub	As Rev	Ran in 2008 GE
Lib	Liberal Party of Canada	9	183	114	307
NDP	New Democratic Party	7	213	88	308
Grn	Green Party of Canada	12	199	92	303
BQ	Bloc Québécois		15	60	75
Cons	Conservative Party of Canada	1	118	188	307
PC	Progressive Canadian Party	1	4	5	10
Ind	Indep/No Affil	13	34	24	71
1st	First Peoples National Party	2	4		6
Anml	Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party		1	3	4
CAP	Canadian Action Party	4	8	8	20
CHP	Christian Heritage Party	2	32	25	59
CPC	Communist Party of Canada		24		24
Lbtn	Libertarian Party of Canada	2	14	10	26
Marj	Marijuana Party		1	7	8
M-L	Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada		15	44	59
N1st	Newfoundland and Labrador First Party	1	2		3
PPP	People's Political Power Party		2		2
Rhin	neoRhino.ca		4	3	7
WBlk	Western Block Party	1			1
WrkL	Work Less Party		1		1

Labels: 41st General Election, Election Expenses