Pierre Poilievre Wants to Lead Canada’s Conservative Party
Pierre Poilievre, backed by anti-vaxxers, crypto bros, and far-right populists, is the leading candidate for Canada’s Conservative Party. If elected, Poilievre, who has described Canada’s welfare state as “horrific,” will wage war on social programs.
Pierre Poilievre speaks to members of the media outside of West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, November 6, 2020. (David Kawai / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Canada’s Conservative Party leadership race is on. Previous party leader Erin O’Toole, unable to keep the animal spirits unleashed by the Freedom Convoy in harness, was voted out last month. Pierre Poilievre, first to throw his hat in the ring, is distinguished chiefly by his crypto-bro associations and his long-standing dream of smashing what’s left of Canada’s welfare state.
In negotiating the halls of power during the pandemic, Poilievre, member of Parliament for Carleton in Ottawa, has sought to appease the Conservative Party’s increasingly belligerent anti-vaccine faction. If he does attain victory in the party’s fall election, some observers warn that the party is headed for a dramatic shift to the hard right.
Bitcoin Gurus, Anti-vaxxers, Fringe Parties, and Pierre
On January 30, as the anti-vaxxer “Freedom Convoy” approached Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre was present to greet the protesters. “Governments have taken advantage of COVID to try to take away our freedom,” Poilievre told a small audience of the demonstrators, “They’re trying to increase their popularity by targeting what they perceive as an unpopular minority.”
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.