As several hundred anti-Israel protesters picketed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outside a swank Vancouver hotel in December, barely 87 supporters paid to have dinner with the PM during a Liberal fundraiser, Elections Canada documents show.More than 250 protesters thronged the entrance of the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver’s tony Coal Harbour district on December 14 where Trudeau was hosting a dinner to raise funds for his struggling Liberal party..According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives had raised $23.3 million in total contributions through the end of September 2023 compared to $9.8 million for the Liberals..In contrast to the rowdy protest outside, only 87 invited supporters paid $1,700 a plate to hear Trudeau host a round table discussion with local Muslim and Jewish leaders, according to his itinerary.People with flags and a megaphone shouted “Free, free, free Palestine” and “Justin Trudeau’s hands are red.”The impromptu gathering was spontaneously organized on social media in the ‘All out 4 Palestine’ protest which accused Canada of being complicit in “the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.”Roughly 100 police officers attended the scene but made no arrests.A source who was at the event told The Western Standard that even though it was an invitation-only event, the turnout was disappointing and many tickets were given to party volunteers for free. Organizers weren’t sure if people stayed away due to the protest or were simply disinterested..But in December of 2022, 302 people showed up for a similar fundraising dinner in Surrey where they paid anywhere from $500 to $1,675 to attend.Elections Canada does not disclose how much the Liberals raised at the Bayshore event, other than to state that the “amount required to have been paid to attend the event, part of which was a contribution” ranged between $0 and $1,700. The protest followed a similar incident in November when Trudeau had to be escorted by police from a restaurant where he had been dining. A 27-year old Coquitlam man was tasered in that debacle.In any event, the December dinner event capped off a miserable year of fundraising for the Liberal leader, the documents show. According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives had raised $23.3 million in total contributions through the end of September 2023 compared to $9.8 million for the Liberals.In October, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre held a rally at the Pinnacle Hotel ballroom in downtown Vancouver that drew 2,000 people.
As several hundred anti-Israel protesters picketed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outside a swank Vancouver hotel in December, barely 87 supporters paid to have dinner with the PM during a Liberal fundraiser, Elections Canada documents show.More than 250 protesters thronged the entrance of the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver’s tony Coal Harbour district on December 14 where Trudeau was hosting a dinner to raise funds for his struggling Liberal party..According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives had raised $23.3 million in total contributions through the end of September 2023 compared to $9.8 million for the Liberals..In contrast to the rowdy protest outside, only 87 invited supporters paid $1,700 a plate to hear Trudeau host a round table discussion with local Muslim and Jewish leaders, according to his itinerary.People with flags and a megaphone shouted “Free, free, free Palestine” and “Justin Trudeau’s hands are red.”The impromptu gathering was spontaneously organized on social media in the ‘All out 4 Palestine’ protest which accused Canada of being complicit in “the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.”Roughly 100 police officers attended the scene but made no arrests.A source who was at the event told The Western Standard that even though it was an invitation-only event, the turnout was disappointing and many tickets were given to party volunteers for free. Organizers weren’t sure if people stayed away due to the protest or were simply disinterested..But in December of 2022, 302 people showed up for a similar fundraising dinner in Surrey where they paid anywhere from $500 to $1,675 to attend.Elections Canada does not disclose how much the Liberals raised at the Bayshore event, other than to state that the “amount required to have been paid to attend the event, part of which was a contribution” ranged between $0 and $1,700. The protest followed a similar incident in November when Trudeau had to be escorted by police from a restaurant where he had been dining. A 27-year old Coquitlam man was tasered in that debacle.In any event, the December dinner event capped off a miserable year of fundraising for the Liberal leader, the documents show. According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives had raised $23.3 million in total contributions through the end of September 2023 compared to $9.8 million for the Liberals.In October, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre held a rally at the Pinnacle Hotel ballroom in downtown Vancouver that drew 2,000 people.
