The ‘Century Initiative’ is the talk of the campaign, but what is it?

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Ottawa – The campaign may have just begun, but conservative leader Pierre Poilievre seems to have found his favorite goal: the Century Initiative for Free Links.

The lesser-known pro-retirement lobby attempted to increase Canada’s population to 100 million in 2100, Poilievre’s lips were big in the opening ceremony of the campaign, and since Liberal leader Mark Carney last week joined Century’s co-founder Mark Wiseman on his Canadian-US relationship.

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Poilievre said in a skilled deal announcement in the suburbs of Ottawa on Friday that the appointment showed the freelance leader sharing the controversial vision of the group for Canada’s more crowded.

“By induced Mr. Wiseman, Mark Carney supported our population to increase our population almost triple to triple,” Poilievre said in his answer to questions on the topic.

“That’s the radical liberal agenda for immigration.”

Poilievre promised to “stop radical Century Initiative” on Sunday’s Ottawa campaign.

Carney said he would reduce immigration to pre-popular levels, and he kept his distance from the group, telling reporters at Rido Hall on Sunday that intake should remain locked until housing austerity eases.

Quebec should have the right to determine “the pace of immigration that allows integration”, he added in French.

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Here is some knowledge about the group that wants to be super big Canada.

What is the Century Initiative?

Founded in 2014, the group sees itself as a “diversified, nonpartisan network from the business, academic and philanthropy sectors”, with their vision of a higher, more prosperous Canada and more appealing on the global stage.

The group favors immigrants and more family births, advocating that Canada reaches the average of 1.6 children per woman by the next decade, reversing the current record low of 1.3. born.

According to the program’s website, its daily activities include education, advocacy and meeting with key decision makers. It is worth noting that it publishes an annual national scorecard about Canada’s growth and prosperity.

The Century Initiative was added to the Canadian Lobby Register in 2021, but is currently listed as inactive.

Who is its member?

The Initiative for the Century was founded in 2014 by Wiseman and businessman Dominic Patton.

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Barton, who is also a central figure in the scandal involving the liberal government contracts of his former company McKiney & Company, is no longer affiliated with the group.

From 2016 to 2019, Wiseman was a senior director of Blackrock, a New York-based investment company accused of driving housing prices by buying large quantities of homes.

Wiseman was released by Blackrock in late 2019 after failing to reveal his romantic relationship with his subordinates.

According to its website, The Century Initiative has nine directors, 15 experts and a three-person champion council.

A prominent member is former Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, who is considered a liberal in the federal campaign. Canadian Business Council head Goldy Hyder and retired Trudeau Senate appointee Ratna Omidvar are also members.

Why 100 million?

The organization said it carefully selected Canadians’ goals by 2100 based on future economic and national security needs.

“One hundred million is not an arbitrary number. This is the population that Canada needs to maintain a prosperous and diverse society on the international stage,” the group’s website reads.

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What concerns does it have?

The group recently posted a note on its landing page against the “misleading claims” that had been circulated in the early stages of the campaign.

“Let us keep the record…our mission is to ensure Canada’s long-term, responsible economic growth by advocating for the national smart growth framework,” the note reads.

“This means aligning immigration with strategic investments in housing, infrastructure and public services.”

“Politically, the effort to misunderstand our work is opportunistic and has done harm to voters. We remain committed to factual, informed policy and the future of Canada.”

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