Canadian Political Party Leader Says He Supports Bitcoin Ahead of Elections

Maxime Bernier – leader of the fast-growing “People’s Party” of Canada, has confirmed that he supports the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency space just a week prior to a federal election in the country.

Bitcoin: A Counter to Central Banking

Bernier revealed his opinion for Bitcoin in a tweet earlier this week, after many had asked him whether he supported the asset and any of the alternative coins. “Of course I do,” he replied.

“I hate how central banks are destroying our money and economy. I’m more of an old-fashioned gold & silver fan, but cryptos are another new and innovative way to counter this that should be encouraged.”

This statement is in line with other comments from Bernier condemning the current monetary system and the inflation of the money supply. Yesterday, he criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for abusing the “Keynesian apparatchiks” at the Bank of Canada, printing money to fund his “gigantic deficits.”

Alternatively, the Bitcoin network has a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, so it has often been touted as the solution to inflationary monetary policy by members of the community.

Bernier’s tweet received 10k likes alongside glowing support from Bitcoin enthusiasts, though some encouraged him to take his support a step further. Stephan Livera, managing director at SwanBitcoin, responded to Bernier, arguing that Bitcoin is superior to gold and “the only chance” that Canada has.

Bernier’s “People’s Party” brings together “populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism,” with an “unwavering commitment to reducing the size of government,” as reads their website. Though they currently hold no seats in parliament, polls predict that they could win as much as 6.1% of the vote in a federal election that is only a week away.

Maxime Bernier. Source: iPolitics

More Political Support for Bitcoin

While prices have been fluctuating wildly as of late, there has also been a strong undercurrent of political adoption and curiosity for Bitcoin across the globe. El Salvador famously adopted the cryptocurrency as legal tender earlier this month, and a recent poll shows that 48% of Brazilians are in favor of following in those footsteps.

Furthermore, Ukraine passed a decree to legalize all cryptocurrencies just days ago, and the government plans to create a regulatory body that will issue permits for companies surrounding digital assets.

Featured Image Courtesy of TheStar