This fall, Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre plans to start meeting with CEOs in what will often be his first face-to-face encounters with the people who run Canadian companies.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
When Pierre Poilievre banged on doors this summer during a Toronto by-election, the Conservative Leader was told to move on from slagging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and start talking about how he planned to do a better job of running the country.
Mr. Poilievre appears to have internalized part of the message.
Last week, he moved to slagging Mirko Bibic, chief executive officer of Bell parent BCE Inc. BCE-T, with all the vitriol previously reserved for the Liberal Leader. If personally taunting the CEO of the country’s largest telecom platform over a sloppy audio edit at Bell-owned CTV News is an indication of how Mr. Poilievre plans to work with corporate leaders, buckle up ahead of a rough economic ride.
In business circles, there are well-founded concerns the prime minister-in-waiting lacks the common sense and self-awareness needed to evolve from opposition attack dog to leader of the pack. CEOs across the country, including Mr. Bibic, see themselves as nation builders. In Mr. Poilievre, they see a politician who has spent his 20-year career building up himself and his party by trying to destroy others.
Can Mr. Poilievre learn to act like a prime minister rather than a pitbull? If he’s willing to listen, corporate leaders feel obligated to offer their best advice on how to successfully navigate the transition.
There’s a widespread feeling among CEOs that the Trudeau Liberals are out of ideas. The chasm between Bay Street and this government can’t be bridged.
This fall, Mr. Poilievre plans to start meeting with CEOs in what will often be his first face-to-face encounters with the people who run Canadian companies. The Conservative Leader is lining up sessions with the folks who build and finance homes, sell groceries, operate cellphone and internet networks and run railways and airlines.
Mr. Poilievre’s long-overdue outreach program is commendable. It’s a sign he’s realized he has the next election in the bag, and recognized the job of being prime minister starts the day after the vote.
In the past, Mr. Poilievre viewed business through the lens of politics, as practised in the fishbowl that is Parliament Hill.
In finance circles, the one banker the Conservative Leader has reached out to is Montreal-based National Bank CEO Laurent Ferreira, part of a strategy to win votes in Quebec. Until this summer, Mr. Poilievre made a point of ignoring the other bank bosses. Pandering to one region feeds into business and public cynicism over political priorities.
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Last December, Mr. Poilievre told a packed house at the Toronto-based C.D. Howe Institute that he holds Bay Street in disdain. The bankers and fund managers in the crowd all knew the Conservative Leader was talking out of both sides of his mouth, as days earlier, he was the star attraction at a fundraiser hosted by executives at investment dealer Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.
The Conservative Leader has made a point of attacking lobbyists, the only face of corporate Canada visible to a career politician, and clearly stated he won’t break bread with business groups. If Mr. Poilievre boycotts lobbyists, he needs to go the extra mile to learn what’s keeping CEOs awake at night.
To date, the historically close relationship between the Conservative Party and business community has been fractured by Mr. Poilievre’s populist approach. Going into their first meetings with the Conservative Leader, many executives question whether Mr. Poilievre is actually open to hearing what they have to say.
In the telecom sector, last week’s attacks on Mr. Bibic signalled Mr. Poilievre ignored or lacked an understanding of how Bell operates.
Mr. Poilievre faulted the telecom CEO over the company’s entirely manageable debt, without recognizing that Bell borrowed to build the fibre and 5G networks essential to a modern economy. And Mr. Poilievre bashed Mr. Bibic for paying out BCE dividends that provide income to retirees across the country. If he is willing to take personal shots at Bell’s boss, it’s safe to assume Mr. Poilievre is willing to fire broadsides at any CEO.
CEOs don’t expect politicians to thank them for investing in the country. They do expect a potential prime minister to base criticism – and policy – on facts. In whatever time remains before the next federal election, business leaders are willing to talk to Mr. Poilievre, to bring him up to speed on what they see as country-defining issues. Canada’s next leader needs to start listening.