The Canadian politician and Bitcoin advocate Pierre Poilievre won the leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada, according to CoinDesk.
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Poilievre won 68% of the votes and now intends to run for the post of prime minister of Canada in 2025. The politician actively supports Bitcoin — previously he stated that citizens should have freedom in the use of digital assets.
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“Canada needs less financial oversight from politicians and bankers and more financial freedom for people. This concerns ownership and use of cryptocurrencies, tokens, smart contracts and decentralized finance,” he emphasized.
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Poilievre also stated plans to make Canada a global blockchain capital.
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In March 2022, the newly elected Conservative leader, during the spring campaign, visited Tahini’s restaurant, where he bought a shawarma with his first cryptocurrency.
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@PierrePoilievre will be coming to Tahinis London to buy a Shawarma with #Bitcoin ⚡️
All bitcoiners are invited. Free up your calendars 🔥🔥
The more people the better. Let’s show our support for Pierre & #Bitcoin ✊🏽
Tahinis Westmount Location 1:00 PM Monday March 28th 🦅RT🦅 pic.twitter.com/WXe7T0Sr7J— Tahinis Restaurants (@TheRealTahinis) March 23, 2022
Earlier, local media citing financial statements reported that Poilievre holds a position in a leading Canadian exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on digital gold from Purpose Investments.
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The instrument became the first Bitcoin ETF, registered in North America. Trading of its shares under the ticker BTCC on the Toronto Stock Exchange began on February 18. In the first two days after launch, the Purpose Bitcoin ETF attracted $421 million.
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In June, outflows from the fund amounted to 24,510 BTC. As a result, AUM of the structure decreased by 51% — to 23,273 BTC. According to Arcane Research, the situation with the Purpose ETF could become a catalyst for the price of the first cryptocurrency to fall to $17 800.
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This is not the first time Bitcoin supporters have sought high political posts. In 2020, businessman and former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who advocated transparent and clear regulation of the crypto industry, decided to run for mayor of New York.
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He promised to turn the city into a hub for Bitcoin and other digital assets, but dropped out of the race.
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Earlier, a similar statement was made by his opponent Eric Adams.
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After winning the election, the politician announced his intention to receive his first three salaries in digital gold and urged to teach cryptocurrencies in schools.
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