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Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poièvre speaks in the House of Commons in Ottawa on May 1. Blair Gable/Reuters
I don't know why Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre wrote an entire op-ed in the National Post urging Canadian companies to fire their “useless, overpaid lobbyists.”
“In many cases, lobbyists do not share the interests of the company, its employees, consumers, or shareholders. A good solution is to fire these lobbyists, stop talking to politicians, and work to gain public support.” I'll probably start.”
In fact, this editorial seems like a waste of space and energy to me. Mr. Poilievre was meeting with lobbyists a few days later and could have delivered the message directly then. Yes, I told Mr. Anastasios Hosakos of the Frontier Exemption Association, whom he met on May 7th (Mr. Poilievre's controversy was published on the Post's website on May 3rd), that he did not receive a salary. I believe I said I was worthless, I didn't deserve the paycheck, and I should have. Instead, learn coding and other more useful things. Make no mistake, he spoke to Canadian Grain Growers on April 9th, to Janet Clayden, who was lobbying for the Canadian Mushroom Growers Association, on March 23rd, and in March to Canadian Grain Growers. I said the same thing to Gurcharan Garry Baura of the real estate association. 1.
Yes, the dozens of lobbyists who have met with Poièvre over the past 12 months must have been told exactly that. “It's pointless to lobby Mr. Poièvre.” And he'll probably continue to meet with lobbyists, uh, remind them of their worthlessness, and maybe provide them with signed copies of his op-eds.
But wait a minute, M. Poilièvre's pedantic servant will cry. The opposition leader's fierce attack on lobbyists was about the possibility that their efforts would be in vain if he became prime minister. Lobbying is perhaps necessary and useful when it's directed at the opposition parties, those who don't actually create budgets, draft laws, or run shows, but it This is not the case when targeting people in the ruling party. Does everyone follow this ironclad logic? good. It is better to keep your questions to yourself because you will be ridiculed if you ask.
“At best, chambers of commerce, business councils and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business hold meaningless luncheons and meetings and write op-eds and interview transcripts that almost no one sees,” Poilievre wrote. There is. As Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, I refuse to meet with the aforementioned groups. They tell me what I already know. ”
Mr. Poilievre is telling the truth. He does not meet with these groups as Conservative Party leader, and only as Shadow Minister for Employment and Industry (16 March 2021), Shadow Minister for Finance (26 November 2020), or as an actual Minister. We are planning to have a meeting. Paper on employment and social development in the Stephen Harper government (May 26, 2015). Perhaps in that capacity, the group could tell Mr. Poilievre some things he “doesn't know yet.” But when he became leader of the Conservative Party, he became omniscient, and the first and more important skill he acquired was how to write op-eds that sounded persuasive and anti-establishment. He was virtually born on Parliament Hill and spent his entire adult life there.
Mr. Poilievre's message that government change comes from the support of the people, not lobbyists, is an endearing suggestion that could be made by a naive political science major who has never seen the inner workings of government. (As Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney recently pointed out on The Line's podcast, if Poilievre is serious about working for the people rather than a powerful lobby, his first act as prime minister is will definitely fight the dairy cartels.) Companies write, “You're not going to get anything from me unless I first convince the public,'' which is another way of saying, “Only popular bills.'' It means that he intends to draft. That's very courageous, and exactly what you want in a leader: someone who only makes decisions that pose zero political risk to himself or his party.
Only good things will come from companies ditching lobbyists and trying to compete for public attention. We know it's tempting to receive an unsolicited email, text message, or doorknock from a company pestering your local legislator about regulating online streaming laws. And certainly as a country, we cannot err by using popularity as a litmus test for important political decisions. In that sense, I don't think there is much difference between the prime minister and the opposition leader.
Poilievre, who has worked in sausage factories all his life, has publicly stated that he was shocked and appalled to find the nose and spleen crushed and stuffed into casings. If he becomes Prime Minister, there will be no more of this disgusting nonsense. Until then, the last guy just has to twist about 10 links.
