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When tech execs bend the ear, do the feds bend the knee?

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OTTAWA—Who does the Carney government listen to?

Canadian tech darling CEO Tobias Lütke recently caused an uproar on Twitter that caught the attention of Fortune magazine, which reported: “Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke, whose company commands a market capitalization near $154-billion, told his social media followers this week that a tax-tiered voting system—one that would strip voting rights from anyone who pays no income tax—would be a ‘good system.’” Um … what?

To be fair, this is nothing new for tech. They have been licking the soles of the far right for years and Shopify is no different. Lütke has paraded the libertarian-to-fascism starter pack all over his Twitter account: from citing free speech in 2017 when on the receiving end of a backlash against Shopify for hosting Breitbart, a known right-wing outlet that gave rise to United States President Donald Trump; to anti-wokeness, which apparently means an ick for caring about people other than yourself. CBC’s Front Burner podcast devoted an episode to talking about Canadian tech’s right-wing drift, and specifically named Lütke as a frontrunner in this broader characterization.

Access to microprocessor knees restores independence and eases pressure on the Canadian healthcare system

The concern here is not necessarily about his views; rather, the problem is how much power he has to turn those views into public policy. Last year, Lütke was instrumental in forming a consortium of........

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