Canadian PM candidate supports freedom to use Bitcoin as money
Categories: CANADA
The Canadian Conservative Party candidate for prime minister, Pierre Poilievre, has come out in support of allowing Canadians to use Bitcoin (BTC) as legal money in the country.The YouTube channel BITCOIN posted a video on Tuesday of Poilievre saying that the people of Canada need “more financial freedom” before a crowd of about 100 at a local restaurant. He added, “That includes freedom to own and use crypto, tokens, smart contracts and decentralized finance.” Earlier this year, the Canadian government led by Liberal Party Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had taken a hard-line approach against crypto in response to the Freedom Convoy protests that took place in Ontario. In January and February, Canadian officials froze the bank accounts of protestors and attempted to block all donations to the truckers, including those made in crypto. Despite his fervency, Poilievre’s support of cryptocurrency may still only resonate with a small group of Canadians. By last October, research firm Ipsos had determined that only about 14% of Canadian citizens over the age of 18 owned cryptocurrency. However, that number is up from just 3% in 2016, signaling a tremendous growth rate.Karringten shares the optimistic outlook for Canada’s adoption of crypto. She said that there has been a “huge increase” in the amount of interest expressed by residents of provincial Alberta, where the CBC operates. She added: “Banks can’t ignore it anymore. Politicians can’t ignore it anymore. They are all starting to ask, ‘How can we adopt it?’”