» Business, union leaders endorse Pierre Poilievre for PM

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Pierre Poilievre is one of the rare politicians at the federal level to get major endorsements from both union leaders and business leaders at the same time.

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On Friday, Poilievre was introduced and endorsed at a rally in Windsor by Karl Lovett of IBEW Local 773 and on Saturday was endorsed in an open letter from some of Canada’s top business executives.

It’s that combo — labour and business leaders coming together — that is so unique, especially for a Conservative politician. Unions have traditionally been on the side of the NDP, but sometimes the Liberals. And despite the reputation, CEOs have preferred the Liberals for decades.

Now both are coming out in favour of Poilievre as the best one to not only deal with Donald Trump, but also to ignite Canada’s economy.

“Pierre wants to invest in us, Pierre wants to invest in Canadian workers and Pierre wants to see the best for workers. Canada first for a change,” Lovett said Friday while endorsing Poilievre.

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“This is why I can proudly say that the apprentices and journeymen of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 773, endorsed Pierre Poilievre to be our next prime minister.”

The next morning, Poilievre woke up to an endorsement from 33 titans of Canadian business that was published in several newspapers and saying that he was the key to unlocking Canada’s future.

“Our country stands at a crossroads — and the decisions we make now will shape the future of Canada for generations to come,” the business leaders wrote.

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Among the names on the list endorsing Poilievre: Peter Gilgan of Mattamy Homes; Brian Porter, the former president and CEO of Scotiabank; Prem Watsa, the chairman and CEO of Fairfax Capital; and Stewart Schaefer, the president and CEO of Sleep Country Canada. The business leaders said Canada is in decline and has been for years, but that it didn’t have to be this way.

They advocated for changing the way we focus our economy moving forward, as opposed to what we have done over the last 10 years under the Liberals.

“To do so, we must embrace the principles that have always led to prosperity: Free enterprise, disciplined government and the courage to invest in our future,” they said.

Again, the convergence of labour and business leader support doesn’t happen often on the campaign trail. That they are both endorsing the Conservative leader — at a time when the establishment consensus is to back the Liberals to take on Trump — is telling.

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“What do they have in common?” Poilievre asked me as we chatted during an interview Saturday in Ottawa.

“They want to get things built. They want to stop stopping and start starting. And they know that I’m the guy with the plan to change that.”

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Throughout our interview, Poilievre said that he was the man to protect Canada’s economy from Trump and the threats coming from Washington. He said his economic plan is the one to rebuild Canada’s economy to ensure we thrive going forward.

Here were labour leaders and business leaders — so often at odds with each other- – both endorsing Poilievre.

“Pierre gets it,” said Arnie Stadnick, international vice-president of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.

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“He knows and understands that the surest and most sustainable route to providing a cleaner environment is through technology, not dismantling our energy sectors, raising taxes, importing energy from other nations and shipping Canadian jobs abroad.”

So there you have it.

The people who build Canada with their blood, sweat and tears and the people who finance the building of Canada both agree that Poilievre is better for the economy than Mark Carney. As a friend said, the bankers aren’t backing the banker — meaning Carney.

We hit the crossroads that those business leaders mentioned on April 28. Which path will you choose?

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