PANews reported on January 7 that according to Cointelegraph, Pierre Poilievre, a popular candidate for Canadian Prime Minister, has promised to make Canada the "capital of cryptocurrency." According to a video that has been circulated on the Internet recently, during a campaign event in March 2022, Poilievre used Bitcoin to buy a shawarma and promised a plan to "make Canada the world's blockchain and cryptocurrency capital." In his speech at the event, he criticized the central bank system and Canada's cryptocurrency regulation. He also said that Bitcoin can help Canadians "get rid of" inflation-after the cryptocurrency market fell sharply in 2023, he was attacked by the Liberal Party's attack ads at the end of the same year.
Poilievre has made other pro-cryptocurrency statements, including a post in 2022 promising that "buyers and sellers have the right to freely choose Bitcoin and other technologies." He has also called the Bank of Canada "financially illiterate" and vowed to stop the bank from issuing a "dangerous central bank digital currency." Most recently, in April 2024, he posted on social media in support of a bill that would ban central bank digital currencies and protect the use of cash.
According to a CBC News poll, Poilievre has led the Conservative Party since 2022. As of January 6, the party is 24 percentage points ahead of the ruling Liberal Party and has a 98% chance of winning a majority. Earlier today, the prediction market showed that pro-crypto Pierre Poilievre is expected to become the next Prime Minister of Canada .
