Pierre Poilievre called lobbyists ‘utterly useless,’ but they’re still attending his fundraisers

Conservative leader headlines fundraisers at private homes and exclusive clubs, CBC News analysis finds

As Pierre Poilievre presents himself as both a prime minister in waiting and a champion of “the working-class people,” he’s headlined roughly 50 fundraisers at private venues since becoming Conservative leader in 2022 — some of them in Canada’s wealthiest neighbourhoods and most exclusive clubs.

A CBC News analysis of fundraising reports the Conservatives submitted to Elections Canada show these fundraisers have attracted dozens of registered federal lobbyists who paid up to $1,725 each to attend events featuring Poilievre.

NDP ethics critic Matthew Green said his problem is with the “hypocrisy of Pierre Poilievre.” Green accused Poilievre of “cosplaying as a working class guy” while privately attending fundraisers in exclusive clubs “most Canadians would have never heard of.”

“This is a guy who is not who he says he is,” Green told CBC News. “This is somebody who is the ‘elites’ that he rails against.”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poilievre-fundraiser-lobbyists-1.7196143