Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has hit back at a recent smear piece by the Canadian Press, published in outlets including CBC and CTV, accusing him of “embracing conspiracy theories” about the World Economic Forum – an annual meeting of global elites held in Davos, Switzerland each year.
The article took issue in particular with a recent fundraising email the Conservatives sent calling on supporters to reject “the globalist Davos elites.” The article cited two academic “experts,” including Liberal donor and politics professor Ahmed Kawser as sources.
“Trudeau’s media are desperate to stop his continued downfall. Today, CBC’s news service CP wrote a hit piece on me because I dared criticize the World Economic Forum—a group of multinational CEOs and powerful politicians that push their interests,” tweeted Poilievre in response.
“I work for our people in this country and will bring home our democracy—without apology.”
Poilievre was joined by others including Conservative MP and former leader Andrew Scheer.
“No wonder Trudeau wants to censor all but four or five Liberals (sic) news sources: they all coordinate in attacking Poilievre with the same false headline. Collusion?” asked Scheer.
The Canadian Press article definitively states that the idea the World Economic Forum wants to impose an agenda on governments around the world is a “debunked claim” without offering any follow-up or examples of said debunking.
In reality, the WEF’s own explicitly stated mission is to engage the “foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.”
WEF Founder Klaus Schwab has himself been vocal in boasting about how much sway exactly his organization has over the world’s governments.
An infamous clip of Schwab from 2017 has the WEF creator waxing about how proud he is that his organization has “penetrated the cabinet” of Canada’s government with the likes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“I have to say, when I mention now names (sic), like Mrs. (Angela) Merkel and even Vladimir Putin, and so on, they all have been Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum,” said Schwab.
“But what we are very proud of now is the young generation like Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau … We penetrate the cabinet. So yesterday I was at a reception for Prime Minister Trudeau and I know that half of his cabinet, or even more than half of his cabinet, are actually Young Global Leaders.”
In fact, Schwab’s self-described influence over the Canadian government has drawn the attention of politicians in other countries including Australia, where Liberal Senator Alex Antic blasted Schwab last year for the WEF’s ideas which are “steeped in authoritarianism and Marxist ideology.”
“It’s an ideology which is creeping into governments across the world,” said Antic before pointing to Canada.
“There’s a word for this: it’s ‘communism’. The World Economic Forum and its affiliates shamelessly promote the abolition of private property.”
As for Poilievre, his own statements about the WEF have been well publicized. To date, Poilievre has pledged to ban any members of cabinet from participating in the Davos conference.
“My ministers in my government will be banned from participating in the World Economic Forum when I’m in government,” said Poileivre in May 2022.
“Work for Canada. If you want to go to Davos – to that conference – make it a one-way ticket.”
Other statements by Poilievre on the WEF amount to him saying he doesn’t “agree with (the WEF’s) publicly stated policy objectives.”
Poilievre has also pledged to prevent the introduction of “mandatory digital ID” in Canada.
Beyond key members of Trudeau’s cabinet like Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland bearing the title of WEF Young Global Leaders, the federal government has partnered with the organization on initiatives which include issues like digital identity.
According to a written response to an Inquiry of Ministry filed by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis, former transport minister Omar Alghabra admitted to a $105.3 million contract in partnership with the WEF to introduce digital identity for travel in Canada.
WEF and the Government of Canada has partnered with Air Canada, the Toronto Pearson International Airport, the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and others in what’s known as the Known Traveller Digital Identity program.
