Ex-Conservative MP Maxime Bernier launches new federal party

Sep 15 2018, 4:17 am

Canada officially has a new federal political party.

Quebec MP Maxime Bernier announced the creation of the People’s Party of Canada (PCC) on Friday in Ottawa.

“For too long, Canadian politics has been hijacked by interest groups, cartels, lobbies, international organizations, corporate or union interests, and the interests of politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa who are disconnected from ordinary citizens,” wrote Bernier in a release.

In August, Bernier announced his departure from the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), claiming the party was “intellectually and morally corrupt.”

This came after a series of ill-timed tweets against multiculturalism, which saw members of his own party, including leader Andrew Scheer, condemning him. The posts were made on the first anniversary of the violent protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, though Bernier has said he was unaware of the connection at the time.

In his Tweets, Bernier questioned why Canada should promote more diversity and asserted that “Trudeau’s extreme multiculturalism and cult of diversity will divide [Canadians] into little tribes that have less and less in common.”

Following these remarks, CPC leader Andrew Scheer stated in a release to media that “Maxime Bernier holds no official role in caucus and does not speak for the Conservative Party of Canada on any issue.”

Last month, Bernier announced his departure from the CPC.

“As of today, I am no longer a member of the Conservative Party of Canada,”  he said. “I want to do politics differently. I will find another way to give a voice to millions of Canadians. And I will continue to fight for Freedom, Responsibility, Fairness and Respect.”

Bernier says the PCC will intend to have 338 candidates in the October 2019 general election. Bernier also outlined the party’s key principles, which include:

  • Respecting taxpayers
  • Respecting the Constitution
  • Equally respecting all regions, provinces and territories
  • Respecting traditions, history, and what makes Canada a unique place in the world, without trying to forcibly change it like the current Liberal government is doing

The Party says it will also work to “restore fairness in our country” by denouncing taxes, programs, and regulations that:

  • That protect industries from competition, create barriers to trade and force consumers to pay more for goods and services
  • That discourages investment, crush private initiative, and the dreams of young entrepreneurs
  • That force citizens to be content with inefficient government services and prevent private alternatives from emerging
  • That unfairly distribute wealth from some provinces to others while keeping the recipient provinces in poverty

Bernier says his party has already raised $140,000 from “very generous donors.”

With files from Peter Nolan-Smith. 

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