“Mad Max” Bernier gears up for 2019 election with his People’s Party of Canada
It’s not uncommon for fringe political parties to spring up around election time. According to Elections Ontario, there are 27 registered political parties in Ontario alone. However, it’s not every day you see a longstanding MP from a major political party veer off to start his own party the year before a federal election. Such is the case with Maxime Bernier, MP of Beauce, Que. since 2006, minister of industry, foreign affairs and small business under Harper, and most recently, runner-up for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Bernier, or “Mad Max,” officially split from the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to form the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) in August 2018. The reason he left the Conservatives, he claimed in a letter to the National Post on Aug. 31, was because the CPC is “entirely dominated by pandering and vote-buying strategies” and that it “cannot be reformed.” The PPC has not yet released its complete platform, but it may be expected to include topics Bernier has been vocal about in the past, and which he has differed from the CPC on. These topics include the privatization of public services like telecoms and healthcare, and the eradication of supply management.
Bernier has also been very vocal over not wanting “more diversity” in Canada. In a recent tweet, he asked: “Why should we promote ever more diversity? More diversity will not be our strength, it will destroy what has made us a great country.” Although Bernier and his staff have said racists “don’t have a place in our party,” the PPC has already drawn support from fringe political groups. For example, Adam Strashok, a former member and employee of Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP), was listed on the PPC’s online membership list in September, according to Kelowna Capital News. Strashok had recently been removed from the UCP for posting anti-Semitic and white supremacist messages on social media. Strashok’s name no longer appears on the PPC’s membership list.
It is unclear how Bernier’s departure from the CPC will affect the Conservatives’ prospects in the 2019 federal election. High profile conservatives like Ontario Premiere Doug Ford and former prime minister Stephen Harper have raised concerns over the prospect of vote-splitting and party fragmentation, although it is possible that Bernier’s platform will alienate more traditionally centrist voters.
However, Bernier claims that the PPC will be “competitive” by election time. It has already attracted over 30,000 members from across Canada, and Bernier claimed that it raised $140,000 in the first month of its existence. However, Bernier’s nascent party only met for the first time last Saturday, Nov. 10, in Kelowna, B.C. As Bernier was in Vancouver at the time of the meeting, he attended the meeting virtually. All we can do is wait to see if the PPC and the CPC will clash or merge. Either way, the conservative landscape in Canada is being pushed further to the right.
Writer’s note and disclaimer: My name is Ella; I’m a U of G alumna, and I intern for Elizabeth May — MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands and the leader of the Green Party of Canada (GPC). As Ms. May’s intern, I attend parliamentary committees, correspond with constituents, attend legislative affairs, and work closely with her legislative assistants. The catch is, I have no prior experience with or knowledge of politics. This column details my experiences learning about the political culture and proceedings on Parliament Hill. My views are my own, and do not represent those of the GPC or of The Honourable Elizabeth May, MP.
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Twitter