Poilievre Reaffirms Ban on WEF Ties in Conservative Party, Calls Davos Crowd ‘Hypocrites’

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asks a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 3, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre says his rule preventing potential ministers from having links to the World Economic Forum (WEF) also applies to party staff and advisors.

“No staff, no ministers, no MPs in my caucus will be involved whatsoever in that organization,” Mr. Poilievre said on Jan. 22 after being asked by media to clarify if the ban was broader than potential ministers.

The Tory leader called attendees of WEF’s annual meeting a group of “high flying, high tax, high carbon hypocrites” who he said take private jets to fly into Davos, Switzerland, to discuss how working people “should not be allowed to heat their homes or drive their pickup trucks.”

The organization’s annual meeting took place from Jan. 15 to 19 under the theme “Rebuilding Trust” and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who serves as a WEF trustee. Ms. Freeland took part in a panel where she said all of Canada’s manufacturing has to be “retooled” for the energy transition.

The leader of the opposition had previously taken a position against the WEF, saying no ministers of his government would attend. Conservative ministers under Stephen Harper have previously attended the meeting, such as John Baird and Ed Fast.

Argentina’s new president Javier Milei, who shares some views with Mr. Poilievre on the economy and the WEF, attended the Davos meeting this year, where he delivered a speech criticizing the forum’s agenda.

“I’m here to tell you that the Western world is in danger and it is endangered because those who are supposed to have to defend the values of the West are coopted by a vision of the world that inexorably leads to socialism and thereby to poverty,” said Mr. Milei on Jan. 17.

The WEF, which is attended by leaders in business, politics, and activism, promotes public-private partnerships and supports “progressive” concepts like stakeholder capitalism and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibility in the corporate world.

The Canadian government has been involved in at least two WEF initiatives, including a pilot project for the use of digital ID in travel, and the Agile Nations network, which seeks to streamline regulations across countries to usher in the WEF-promoted “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

It is also encouraging Canadian businesses to participate in the WEF’s First Movers Coalition seeking to decarbonize industries across the world.

The Liberal government has spent nearly $23.5 million on projects involving the WEF since 2015.