https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
Methinks that we didn't have to wait long for the left wingnuts and all their many spin doctors to start doing the twist N'esy Pas?
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/methinks-its-gonna-be-long-weekend-for.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/bernier-caucus-exit-1.4796831
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
Methinks its gonna be a long weekend for Harper 2.0 N'esy Pas?
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/methinks-its-gonna-be-long-weekend-for.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bernier-statement-conserative-1.4795894
In Bernier, Canadians finally have a leader working for Bernier. Wait — 'them.' I mean them: Robyn Urback
Maxime Bernier has tweeted about excesses of multiculturalism for last couple weeks
Comments
Joey Bender
this will take votes away from Scheer
Scheer silence for months on top issues has split the party
Max stepped forward and put his neck on the line
Scheer silence for months on top issues has split the party
Max stepped forward and put his neck on the line
Jamie Gillis
@James Timberly "He's not exactly the same as Trump, but he in similar in that he baits white nationalism."
No he doesn't. In his own words "Canada is a huge and diverse country. This diversity is part of us and should be celebrated."
Bernier was cautioning against creating so much diversity that there is nothing that unifies Canadians. He was saying that the things that do unite Canadians should be what we focus on. There's nothing "white nationalist" about that unless you go out of your way to twist it that way
No he doesn't. In his own words "Canada is a huge and diverse country. This diversity is part of us and should be celebrated."
Bernier was cautioning against creating so much diversity that there is nothing that unifies Canadians. He was saying that the things that do unite Canadians should be what we focus on. There's nothing "white nationalist" about that unless you go out of your way to twist it that way
David Amos
@Jamie Gillis "There's nothing "white nationalist" about that unless you go out of your way to twist it that way."
Methinks that we didn't have to wait long for the left wingnuts and all their many spin doctors to start doing the twist N'esy Pas?
Methinks that we didn't have to wait long for the left wingnuts and all their many spin doctors to start doing the twist N'esy Pas?
mia stalling
@Brenda Holmstrom
peter McKay with the help of Harper split the party.
peter McKay with the help of Harper split the party.
David Amos
@mia stalling True
Jerry Boland
Even if Max only takes 5% away from the CPC...it is a DISASTER for them.
Content disabled.
David Amos
@Jerry Boland I agree but I
am already bored with the issue so I am going go a long ride and to
enjoy friends, lobsters and beaches on a fine weekend in the Maritimes
while the right wing wackos spit and chew. Methinks I should be able to
simply rely on my prior comments on the topic if CBC allow them to
remain in the public view N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bernier-statement-conserative-1.4795894
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bernier-statement-conserative-1.4795894
Content disabled.
David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos "Content disabled."
Methinks that speaks volumes about CBC and its severe lack of Integrity N'esy Pas? Check page 14 to see how long CBC and the US Department of State has had Hard Copy of my work.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/2718120/integrity-yea-right
Methinks that speaks volumes about CBC and its severe lack of Integrity N'esy Pas? Check page 14 to see how long CBC and the US Department of State has had Hard Copy of my work.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/2718120/integrity-yea-right
MP Maxime Bernier quits 'morally corrupt' Conservatives, plans to start new party
Conservative leader says Bernier was more occupied with advancing his own profile than the needs of the party
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Methinks folks should Google the following sometime soon N'esy Pas?
Maxime Bernier David Raymond Amos
Maxime Bernier David Raymond Amos
Bob Ols
@David Amos
Man, that is a messy website. Hard to make sense of it.
Man, that is a messy website. Hard to make sense of it.
David Amos
@Bob Ols Methinks whereas you can't understand the obvious you should Google the following
David Amos Federal Court
Then go straight statement 83 and ask you MP what it means N'esy Pas?
David Amos Federal Court
Then go straight statement 83 and ask you MP what it means N'esy Pas?
Bob Ols
@David Amos
Wow...lots in there. Where do you find the time?
Wow...lots in there. Where do you find the time?
David Amos
Welcome to the Circus that has come down to the Maritimes
David Amos
Methinks that a desperate
politician who had a secret meeting with Trump Tweets desperate things
as his beloved party feuds once again N'esy Pas?
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our Leader Andrew Scheer." Stephen Harper
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our Leader Andrew Scheer." Stephen Harper
Steven Scott
Isn't it amazing how many
conservative cheerleaders on here today are trying to do what they do
best, deny, deflect and discredit, Well I'm afraid you've played that
card way to often for anyone but yourselves to believe. Misery loves
company and I see a very miserable conservative party this morning
.......
David Amos
@Steven Scott "Isn't it amazing how many conservative cheerleaders on here today"
Methinks there are just as many Liberal spin doctors as well N'esy Pas?
Methinks there are just as many Liberal spin doctors as well N'esy Pas?
Steven Scott
@David Amos
I wouldn't know about that, I voted NDP .......
I wouldn't know about that, I voted NDP .......
David Amos
@Steven Scott Why is it that I am nor surprised?
Steven Scott
You quack me up duck, thanks for the entertainment this morning ........
David Amos
@Steven Scott ME TOO
Sean Flynn
I wonder if Bernier is a
Liberal operative, splitting the Cons for some sort of favour later on.
Maybe he'll join the Liberals and get a Cabinet seat. Minister of
Immigration maybe.
David Amos
@Sean Flynn Methinks Maxime is all about Maxime and many agree N'esy Pas?
Ken Basso
"We've always been there more
for Maxime than for the party," riding president Charles Laflamme told
Radio-Canada. "The support was for Maxime." This just proves Maxime and
his supporters have no interest in serving Canada. It is their own self
interest they are concerned about.
Malcolm Alexander
@Ken Basso
He comes from a region where it is Family first, except for Maxime, then it is Maxime first and biker dolls next.
If he was worth his weight in feathers, he'd be a proud grandfather by now.
He comes from a region where it is Family first, except for Maxime, then it is Maxime first and biker dolls next.
If he was worth his weight in feathers, he'd be a proud grandfather by now.
Jamie Gillis
@Malcolm Alexander
You're judging people based on one person they've dated and whether or not they're a grandfather? Yeesh.
You're judging people based on one person they've dated and whether or not they're a grandfather? Yeesh.
David Amos
@Jamie Gillis Your point is?
David Amos
@Malcolm Alexander I am a Proud Grandfather who has no respect whatsoever for Maxime or any of his cohorts
Malcolm Alexander
@David Amos
As it should be.
As it should be.
Bob Ols
@Steven Scott
Well that's BS. We try to improve the lives of Canadians while the LPC only want to improve the lives of people that don't even live here. Oh, and themselves.
Well that's BS. We try to improve the lives of Canadians while the LPC only want to improve the lives of people that don't even live here. Oh, and themselves.
David Amos
@Bob Ols "Well that's BS. "
Methinks I have read enough of your BS about me in the past few minutes that I should deem your words worthy of being repeated within a blog you don't understand N'esy Pas?
Methinks I have read enough of your BS about me in the past few minutes that I should deem your words worthy of being repeated within a blog you don't understand N'esy Pas?
Scott Kane
Scott Kane
My biggest issue is when politicians talk is like "for the needs of the party" i dont care about the party i care about Canadians and all politicians of all stripes just dont seem to get that but people still support our bloated morally and ethically corrupt politics. Its Canadians against Canadians for the sake of some corrupt politician. Its crazy.
My biggest issue is when politicians talk is like "for the needs of the party" i dont care about the party i care about Canadians and all politicians of all stripes just dont seem to get that but people still support our bloated morally and ethically corrupt politics. Its Canadians against Canadians for the sake of some corrupt politician. Its crazy.
David Amos
@Scott Kane I agree
Buford Wilson
Canadians want fresh leadership.
Maxime is the right man at the right time.
Maxime is the right man at the right time.
David Amos
@Buford Wilson Methinks thou doth jest too much N'esy Pas?
Bob Ols
@David Amos
Dude...your website is a mess!
Dude...your website is a mess!
David Amos
@Bob Ols So you say merely because you wish it to be so Methinks everybody knows it is just a blog N'esy Pas?
Ian MacDonald
Latest polls
Liberals 38
NDP 20
Conservative 20
Bernier party 15
Green 6
Looks like a dead heat for the official opposition
Liberals 38
NDP 20
Conservative 20
Bernier party 15
Green 6
Looks like a dead heat for the official opposition
David Amos
@Ian MacDonald Interesting BS
Jamie Gillis
@Ian MacDonald "It's from a little known polling company based out of yellowknife"
Is it called "Made Up Numbers from My Parent's Basement Research"?
Is it called "Made Up Numbers from My Parent's Basement Research"?
Ian MacDonald
@Jamie Gillis
Le sigh.
I was having fun
But here you are to ruin it.
According to Nanos research the polls stand at
38 Liberal
34 con
19 ndp
6 green
I just took 15% from the cons and gave it to Bernier.
Which seems like a realistic outcome to his break away.
http://www.nanos.co/our-insight/
Le sigh.
I was having fun
But here you are to ruin it.
According to Nanos research the polls stand at
38 Liberal
34 con
19 ndp
6 green
I just took 15% from the cons and gave it to Bernier.
Which seems like a realistic outcome to his break away.
http://www.nanos.co/our-insight/
Ed Chalmers
Scheer just lost 2.5 million votes from firearms owners across the country. C-71 has seen no opposition from Scheer and it's been left to MPs like Michelle Rempel and Glen Motz to protest inherently bad legislation.
At this point, splitting the conservative vote was literally the ONLY thing that would give the Libs a majority gov't next year...and Max is giving it to them. I find it hard to believe he doesn't see that, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this new party will build enough momentum to become a force by next year
David Amos
@Ed Chalmers "Scheer just lost 2.5 million votes from firearms owners across the country"
Heres hoping thats true
Heres hoping thats true
Bob Ols
@Ed Chalmers
No conservative with common sense would support the LPC. No votes lost.
No conservative with common sense would support the LPC. No votes lost.
David Amos
@Bob Ols Methinks Bill Casey turned coat once he was given the boot N'esy Pas?
Albert Pierrepoint
Max is a sore loser.
David Amos
@Albert Pierrepoint YUP
Buford Wilson
Andrew was cruising to an easy victory in the election next year.
Now all bets are off.
Jagmeet may grab the ring.
Now all bets are off.
Jagmeet may grab the ring.
David Amos
@Buford Wilson Methinks you enjoy the Circus as much as I N"esy Pas?
Jim Johnson
Bernier's attempt at a new party will fail. He will fall off the political map.
David Amos
@Jim Johnson Don't bet on it
Bob Ols
Overnight I got to thinking
about Max B; who I supported last year, and have come to the conclusion
that this is good news for the CPC. Max has become a distraction and
distractions take up a lot of other people's time and energy. I would
like to see SM dismantled, but I can certainly pay a bit more for eggs
and cheese if it means we can get rid of Trudeau and his group of misfit
toys. Their lack of leadership has Canada drifting at sea in the global
economy while the eco-extremists continue to pound our country while
ignoring the real problems of pollution from the US, China and India.
The CPC have an opportunity to refocus this weekend and come out
swinging. MP's like Michelle Rempel and Polliviere can step up the
pressure on JT and Scheer can focus on party leadership. It won't be an
easy Fall, but after that we should be well on our way to 24 Sussex.
David Amos
@Bob Ols "I got to thinking
about Max B; who I supported last year, and have come to the conclusion
that this is good news for the CPC. '
Methinks the plot thickens rather nicely N'esy Pas?
Methinks the plot thickens rather nicely N'esy Pas?
Bob Ols
@David Amos
How so?
How so?
Kevin Graves (AKA Jaspersdad)
Good luck to Bernier! Anything that splits the right in this country is a wonderful thing.
John Smith
@Kevin Graves (AKA Jaspersdad)
Agreed!
Agreed!
David Amos
@John Smith Me Too
David Amos
@Troy Mann Me thinks the
lawyer within Max understands being morally corrupt. Many folks would no
doubt agree that he is a walking talking example of just exactly that
N'esy Pas?
Rick Bailey
The right have the embarrassing position admitting they really didn't like Scheer after all.
David Amos
@Rick Bailey YUP
George Abbott
@Rick Bailey
He would make an excellent Prime Minister.
He would make an excellent Prime Minister.
Joe Smithson
@George Abbott
LOL.Nope. He was Convicted of Mishandling classified information. He gave it to his Hells Angels girlfriend
LOL.Nope. He was Convicted of Mishandling classified information. He gave it to his Hells Angels girlfriend
David Amos
@George Abbott NOPE
David Amos
@Joe Smithson YUP
Alan Smithee
And with that the Liberals have just won the 2019 election. Be sure to send Bernier a thank-you card Justin.
David Amos
@Alan Smithee Methinks the Fat Lady ain't sung about that election yet N'esy Pas?
Bruce Nelson
The old reform party rises again, with Max shouting a elongated "Réforme."
John Smith
@Bruce Nelson
The irony is hilarious!
The irony is hilarious!
David Amos
@John Smith YUP
Robert Lee
@Bruce Nelson
Sooooooo....Harper should join? For old times sake?
Sooooooo....Harper should join? For old times sake?
David Amos
@Robert Lee Methinks Harper tweeted that he is proud of his current leader N'esy Pas?
Kevin Delaney
Two Conservative Parties for the price of 1. Wow how lucky can Canadians get? How lucky can the Liberals get?
Kim Walters
@Kevin Delaney That's the
beauty of Canada, instead of having 2 bad parties to vote for we have
several, with more coming on board!
David Amos
@Kim Walters "That's the beauty of Canada"
Methinks the more parties who participate the merrier the Circus N'esy Pas?
Methinks the more parties who participate the merrier the Circus N'esy Pas?
Jim Graham
Oh my...all of the old
Reformers like Harper, Kenney and Tenecke are opting for Scheer who
lacks a position on just about everything.
Max is singing from the Reform policy book and yet he's abandoned ... just because he ruined a festive party.
Poor Cons they can't seem to like anybody, but we're very clear on what they don't like ... just like their policy suite ... a one line entry: We don't like Liberals, but have nothing to offer as an alternative.
Max is singing from the Reform policy book and yet he's abandoned ... just because he ruined a festive party.
Poor Cons they can't seem to like anybody, but we're very clear on what they don't like ... just like their policy suite ... a one line entry: We don't like Liberals, but have nothing to offer as an alternative.
Garfield Stephenson Wu
@Jim Graham Well said. Just
so you know, though, the Berning anarchist from Quebec is from the PCs,
while the former House Speaker is from the Reform Party.
One thing to note: That Berning anarchist's father served as MP for the riding of Beauce from 1984 to 1997 under the federal PCs, though he spent his final MP days as an independent before he was appointed as ambassador to Haiti by PM Jean Chretien.
One thing to note: That Berning anarchist's father served as MP for the riding of Beauce from 1984 to 1997 under the federal PCs, though he spent his final MP days as an independent before he was appointed as ambassador to Haiti by PM Jean Chretien.
David Amos
@Garfield Stephenson Wu Duly Noted
Ralph Wilkes
On the bright, the way it was
Andrew would have been canned when he lost to Trudeau next year but now
he can blame it on Maxime.....
Robert Lee
@Ralph Wilkes
READ THIS!...
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-debate-over-immigration-in-canada-veers-onto-dangerous-ground
Eye opener for all, in any political stripe.
READ THIS!...
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-debate-over-immigration-in-canada-veers-onto-dangerous-ground
Eye opener for all, in any political stripe.
David Amos
@Robert Lee Methinks folks
should read this too. They are just some of the documents Bernier
received in Hard Copy from me in 2006. Perhaps Max left them at his
girlfriend's place for the Hell Angels to read N'esy Pas?
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
Thomas Magnum
Maybe Leitch can join him and make more entertaining videos...
David Amos
@Thomas Magnum Methinks many would enjoy that just as many doubt that is your real name N'esy Pas?
Kevin Delaney
Does the comedy of conservatism get any funnier in Canada? Preston, can you get back in the game?
I think that some serious Reform is needed.
I think that some serious Reform is needed.
Colinda Bean
@Bill Mavin
Stock Well Day, hum... thought that was some kind of a shopping day like black friday.
Stock Well Day, hum... thought that was some kind of a shopping day like black friday.
Kevin Delaney
@Bill Mavin
Nope, but Deb Grey can come back to help.
Nope, but Deb Grey can come back to help.
David Amos
@Kevin Delaney Methinks Debbie still regrets calling me "Famous Amos" N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@Colinda Bean Methinks lots
of folks recall what went down between the RCMP, Peter Mackay, Stockwell
Day and I in 2008 N'esy Pas?
JOHN MCTAGGART
Just what Canada needs, another zealous right wing party that knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
Ethan Beaver
@Martin Serge Langevin
Most liberals are too ignorant of anything related to economics. They had to google it.
Most liberals are too ignorant of anything related to economics. They had to google it.
David Amos
@Ethan Beaver Methinks Trudeau The Younger still maintains that the budget will balance itself N'esy Pas?
Albert Grove
Well, well, well...what a difference 8 hours make cons..LOL!
David Amos
@Albert Grove Methinks its gonna be a long weekend for Harper 2.0 N'esy Pas?
William Martin
"We'll have a lot of Canadians, and that new party will win the next election."
With all due respect Mr. Bernier, I doubt that very seriously.
With all due respect Mr. Bernier, I doubt that very seriously.
David Amos
@William Martin Me Too
Howard Strutt
More proof that the Canadian Conservative party has moved much, much too far right.
Canadians are just not that far right....
Canadians are just not that far right....
David Amos
@Dougie carlson "the cons are left of Hillary democrats"
YUP
YUP
Mike Hamilton
Anyone remember that time Max
left a briefcase full of government documents at a biker chick's house?
Yea, he would make a fine PM.....
David Amos
@Andrew Bell "who cares?"
Methinks you do N'esy Pas?
Methinks you do N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@Jason Martin Remember that time when Trudeau ran Canada into the ground?
I do
I do
Maxime Bernier recruiting all the disillusioned Conservatives that miss Pierre Poutine? Is Sona out of jail yet?
David Amos
@James Brown Methinks everybody knows why I ran against Sona's boss Rob Moore twice N'esy Pas?
Couldn't have happened to a better party, they deserve it ............
David Amos
@Steven Scott I concur
Ralph Wilkes
An Andrew led CPC never had a chance to begin with. Bernier gave him an excuse to lose is all.
All we have heard from the right since Harper was fired is what kind of Conservatives are they?
Are they Progressive? Are they fiscal? Are they right enough? Are they too right?
Now they know........they are 3rd party status. Unless the Greens make a move.
All we have heard from the right since Harper was fired is what kind of Conservatives are they?
Are they Progressive? Are they fiscal? Are they right enough? Are they too right?
Now they know........they are 3rd party status. Unless the Greens make a move.
David Amos
@Ralph Wilkes "they are 3rd party status."
Methinks not yet but perhaps after the next election N'esy Pas?
Methinks not yet but perhaps after the next election N'esy Pas?
Awistoyus Nahasthay
So if Bernier was so divisive within the Con party, why didn't Scheer have the backbone to punt him?
Not the strongest show of leadership Andy, not really a show of any leadership at all, actually.
Oh, the Cons are in trouble with him at the helm, aren't they...
Not the strongest show of leadership Andy, not really a show of any leadership at all, actually.
Oh, the Cons are in trouble with him at the helm, aren't they...
Keith Laughton
@Awistoyus Nahasthay
Are you suggesting that Mr Scheer should break Canadian Law?
Try looking at the Parliament of Canada Act, specifically section 49.2.
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-1/page-7.html#docCont
"Expulsion of caucus member
49.2 A member of a caucus may only be expelled from it if
(a) the caucus chair has received a written notice signed by at least 20% of the members of the caucus requesting that the member’s membership be reviewed; and
(b) the expulsion of the member is approved by secret ballot by a majority of all caucus members."
Given that this is the law of the land you may ask why Mr Singh and Mr Trudeau are not considered to be breaking the same law since they have expelled caucus members.
That is the result of Section 49.8 of the same law
"49.8 (1) At its first meeting following a general election, the caucus of every party that has a recognized membership of 12 or more persons in the House of Commons shall conduct a separate vote among the caucus members in respect of each of the following questions:
(a) whether sections 49.2 and 49.3 are to apply in respect of the caucus"
The Conservatives decided to place themselves under section 49.2 in this parliament, just like the law says.
Happy to have cleared up your confusion about the issue that is evident from your post.
Regards,
Are you suggesting that Mr Scheer should break Canadian Law?
Try looking at the Parliament of Canada Act, specifically section 49.2.
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-1/page-7.html#docCont
"Expulsion of caucus member
49.2 A member of a caucus may only be expelled from it if
(a) the caucus chair has received a written notice signed by at least 20% of the members of the caucus requesting that the member’s membership be reviewed; and
(b) the expulsion of the member is approved by secret ballot by a majority of all caucus members."
Given that this is the law of the land you may ask why Mr Singh and Mr Trudeau are not considered to be breaking the same law since they have expelled caucus members.
That is the result of Section 49.8 of the same law
"49.8 (1) At its first meeting following a general election, the caucus of every party that has a recognized membership of 12 or more persons in the House of Commons shall conduct a separate vote among the caucus members in respect of each of the following questions:
(a) whether sections 49.2 and 49.3 are to apply in respect of the caucus"
The Conservatives decided to place themselves under section 49.2 in this parliament, just like the law says.
Happy to have cleared up your confusion about the issue that is evident from your post.
Regards,
David Amos
@Keith Laughton Enlightening
but methinks a strong leader could whip up such a thing in a heartbeat.
The liberal Bill Casey would attest to that N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/tory-mp-ejected-from-caucus-after-budget-vote-1.644248
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/tory-mp-ejected-from-caucus-after-budget-vote-1.644248
Jason DeBack
" Today’s Conservative Party is a mainstream, democratic coalition that is ready to govern"
biggest load of hogwash I've read all day
biggest load of hogwash I've read all day
David Amos
@Jason DeBack "biggest load of hogwash I've read all day"
Methinks you should read what Trump has been saying south of the 49th N'esy Pas?
Methinks you should read what Trump has been saying south of the 49th N'esy Pas?
William Zandoli
On the bright side, all of
the alt-right cons will flock to Bernier and his new fringe group,
leaving a moderate center-right CPC that the rest of us can actually
support.
David Amos
@William Zandoli "leaving a moderate center-right CPC that the rest of us can actually support"
Don't bet on it
Don't bet on it
Sylvius Salvarian
Good job, Max.
Americans might like to Feel the Bern, but Mad Max is even Bernier!
Americans might like to Feel the Bern, but Mad Max is even Bernier!
David Amos
@Sylvius Salvarian Methinks thou doth jest too much N'esy Pas?
Brent Mackenzie
Scheer has become Trudeau lite Zero options for centre right
Dan Stephan
@Ron Vollans Justin has the liberals left of the NDP not even close the conservatives.
David Amos
@Dan Stephan I won't disagree
Edward McNichol
Can't wait to vote for the new party. The 'progressive' Cons are just another lefty party.
David Amos
@Edward McNichol Yea Right
Albert Grove
He will have hundreds of votes......
David Amos
@Albert Grove Methinks the Fat Lady ain't sung yet nor she even know what tune to sing N'esy Pas?
Eddie Brock
I have mixed feelings about
this. Bernier is on the right side of nearly every issue. But splitting
votes off the conservative party won't help Canadians, it will just
result in a Trudeau win.
The Conservative party failed Canadians when they missed their chance to choose Bernier to lead the party. He's a Quebecer who's widely popular out west. Imagine a politician electable in both Quebec and Alberta?
The Conservative party failed Canadians when they missed their chance to choose Bernier to lead the party. He's a Quebecer who's widely popular out west. Imagine a politician electable in both Quebec and Alberta?
It's too bad the Conservative party is afraid of the name calling by those that hate them anyway. They should have to courage to represent the right policy ideas, regardless of how much the SJWs howl at them.
Awistoyus Nahasthay
@Eddie Brock
"Bernier is on the right side of nearly every issue."
Huh?
Well, I suppose that's true, but only if you employ the term 'right' in a way I don't think you intended.
"Bernier is on the right side of nearly every issue."
Huh?
Well, I suppose that's true, but only if you employ the term 'right' in a way I don't think you intended.
David Amos
@Awistoyus Nahasthay And you are Bernier fan Right?
Patrick Martin
Not unexpected. I have not
liked the Conservatives behind Scheer and Bernier is worse. When you
have such nasty and unpleasant people, there is no way each would not
want to be the top person.
It is unfortunate that Michael Chong was not acceptable to the reformist, far-right elements of the party - he is someone that I could get behind.
It is unfortunate that Michael Chong was not acceptable to the reformist, far-right elements of the party - he is someone that I could get behind.
David Amos
@Patrick Martin Methinks everybody knows that Michael Chong is just a player like all the rest N'esy Pas?
Brad Bopa
Judging from the views of many posters, Bernier should win by a landslide. Good move y'all!
David Amos
@Brad Bopa Methinks you don't know the Bernier I know N'esy Pas?
In Bernier, Canadians finally have a leader working for Bernier. Wait — 'them.' I mean them: Robyn Urback
Maxime Bernier has tweeted about excesses of multiculturalism for last couple weeks
Maxime Bernier is fed up.
Fed up with the Conservative Party, which he tried to lead just a little over a year ago.
Fed up with political correctness — so much so that he made sure to say it in both French and English.
Fed up with the lack of substantive policy debate — something he made clear after weeks of provocative, hazy tweets about multiculturalism and declined interview requests.
Bernier raised these complaints and more dozens of times in imagined conversations he rehearsed quietly to himself in the shower. No, Michelle Rempel, your immigration plan is way too lenient. Stop it, Andrew Scheer, don't you take that Bombardier tour. Quiet down everyone, the MP from Beauce has something to say.
Mind you, Bernier didn't actually raise these concerns with his colleagues in real life, according to both Rempel and Scheer, but he was pretty sure he knew how the conversations would go based on what he imagined in the time between shampooing and conditioning. So he's out of the Conservative caucus for good, with plans to start his own party.
- Bernier quits 'morally corrupt' Conservatives, plans to start new party
- OPINION | Bernier is challenging orthodoxy. He deserves a civil reply
Bernier knows the best way to change deeply ingrained policy is from the outside, without the reach and financial resources afforded by association with an established political party, using a strategy that seems more about ego than actual policy goals. Indeed, when you have a legitimate message — about the backward nature of supply management, for example — it is important to package it with all the baggage associated with the messenger. That makes it memorable.
And speaking of supply management, the party's tolerance, and indeed, its bolstering of Canada's system for controlling the domestic market for dairy, poultry and eggs simply became impossible for Bernier to stomach. Sure, he stomached it under the Stephen Harper government, along with corporate bailouts that he now decries. But now it's different — now Bernier has a taste for leadership. Wait, no — I mean now supply management is a major sticking point in NAFTA negotiations with the U.S. Yes, let's go with that.
The problem is, economic appeals don't tend to rouse the masses the way rants about immigration do. But tweets about "extreme multiculturalism" — which Bernier says he will define eventually — now that's how you make a difference. I mean, the difference is mostly just in your number of Twitter followers, but it's a difference nonetheless.
Bernier on why he quit Tories to start his own federal party
Former Conservative MP
Maxime Bernier explains why he had to leave his "intellectually and
morally corrupt" party to strike out in his own. 1:17
Bernier also had a section about immigration policy reform in his leadership platform, but he didn't need to make it front and centre because the number of asylum seekers crossing into Canada this time last year was way … uh… anyway, let's move on.
Canadians need a politician who will speak for them, and that politician is Maxime Bernier — by proxy of the many smart columnists who have attempted to translate and find nuance in his independently meaningless Twitter blurts about reversing the trend of "cultural balkanization" and the "burden" of high immigration on a country that also depends on it for economic stability.
- Bernier quits 'morally corrupt' Conservatives, plans to start new party
- OPINION | Bernier is challenging orthodoxy. He deserves a civil reply
Indeed, after not really trying, it was clear Bernier could not change things from inside the Conservative Party. So he will champion these policy ideas from the outside, where they will be met with additional hostility coming from a political rival. Finally, a politician working in the best interests of Maxime Bernier! I mean you. You. Working in the interests of you.
This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.
About the Author
MP Maxime Bernier quits 'morally corrupt' Conservatives, plans to start new party
Conservative leader says Bernier was more occupied with advancing his own profile than the needs of the party
Divisive Quebec MP Maxime Bernier made a scorched earth exit
from the Conservatives today, while announcing plans to start his own
federal party.
Bernier, who represents the riding of Beauce, made the announcement Thursday in Ottawa as the party's policy convention kicks off in Halifax.
"I have come to realize over the past year that this party is too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed," he said, on the heels of controversial tweets he posted regarding diversity.
"I know for a fact that many in the caucus privately oppose supply management, but buying votes in a few key ridings is more important than defending the interests of Canadians."
Bernier said
he plans to talk to Elections Canada on Friday and his goal is to head a
party that runs candidates in all of Canada's 338 federal ridings.
"We'll have a lot of Canadians, and that new party will win the next election."
Canada's
dairy supply management system has been a consistent sticking point
for Bernier, but in his takedown of the party, he also
attacked Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer for supporting retaliatory
tariffs against the United States.
"I'm the only one in the House who is against a trade war and the only one in the House who is for Canadian consumers," he said.
Bernier has caused waves on the national scene — and within his own party — for recent tweets regarding Canada's diversity. They have been labelled xenophobic by some commentators, while others view them as the start of a much-needed debate over Canadian identity and the role of immigration.
Bernier said he spoke to Scheer nine days ago and made his decision to leave the party, adding the leader is consumed with "polls and focus groups."
Scheer, who narrowly beat Bernier at last year's leadership convention, said the former cabinet minister was more occupied with advancing his own profile than the needs of the party.
"Today Maxime made a choice," he told reporters in Halifax. "He decided today to help Justin Trudeau."
"I always challenged him to put personal ambition aside and to concentrate on common ground that all Conservatives can rally around.… Not once did he come to me or my team with ideas for the issues he's raising."
Leading up to Bernier's announcement, some prominent Conservatives rallied around Scheer.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, who helped secure the historic merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives that formed the modern-day Conservative Party, says the party needs to move forward.
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our leader," he tweeted.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted support for Scheer, while Kory Teneycke, the former director of communications for Harper and a Bernier supporter in the leadership race, penned an op-ed for the Toronto Sun backing Scheer for prime minister.
Rachel Curran, Harper's former director of policy, put it more bluntly.
"I hope Justin Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues are breaking out the champagne in Nanaimo this morning," she tweeted, saying that the Prime Minister's Office has "secured an easy win in 2019 despite a mostly terrible summer."
Bernier, who represents the riding of Beauce, made the announcement Thursday in Ottawa as the party's policy convention kicks off in Halifax.
"I have come to realize over the past year that this party is too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed," he said, on the heels of controversial tweets he posted regarding diversity.
"I know for a fact that many in the caucus privately oppose supply management, but buying votes in a few key ridings is more important than defending the interests of Canadians."
"We'll have a lot of Canadians, and that new party will win the next election."
Bernier on why he quit Tories to start his own federal party
Former Conservative MP
Maxime Bernier explains why he had to leave his "intellectually and
morally corrupt" party to strike out in his own. 1:17
"I'm the only one in the House who is against a trade war and the only one in the House who is for Canadian consumers," he said.
Bernier has caused waves on the national scene — and within his own party — for recent tweets regarding Canada's diversity. They have been labelled xenophobic by some commentators, while others view them as the start of a much-needed debate over Canadian identity and the role of immigration.
Bernier said he spoke to Scheer nine days ago and made his decision to leave the party, adding the leader is consumed with "polls and focus groups."
Scheer, who narrowly beat Bernier at last year's leadership convention, said the former cabinet minister was more occupied with advancing his own profile than the needs of the party.
Andrew Scheer weighs in on Bernier's announcement today
Conservative Leader
Andrew Scheer says Bernier decided to serve himself rather than the
Conservative Party's efforts to unseat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 0:49
"I always challenged him to put personal ambition aside and to concentrate on common ground that all Conservatives can rally around.… Not once did he come to me or my team with ideas for the issues he's raising."
Harper: Bernier 'seeks only to divide Conservatives'
Leading up to Bernier's announcement, some prominent Conservatives rallied around Scheer.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, who helped secure the historic merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives that formed the modern-day Conservative Party, says the party needs to move forward.
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our leader," he tweeted.
It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our Leader @AndrewScheer.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford tweeted support for Scheer, while Kory Teneycke, the former director of communications for Harper and a Bernier supporter in the leadership race, penned an op-ed for the Toronto Sun backing Scheer for prime minister.
Rachel Curran, Harper's former director of policy, put it more bluntly.
"I hope Justin Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues are breaking out the champagne in Nanaimo this morning," she tweeted, saying that the Prime Minister's Office has "secured an easy win in 2019 despite a mostly terrible summer."
I hope Justin Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues are breaking out the champagne in Nanaimo this morning. Congratulations to @gmbutts & co. who have secured an easy win in 2019 despite a mostly terrible summer.
Earlier this summer, Bernier was banished from the Tories' front bench and stripped of his role as innovation critic.
At the time, a Conservative MP who spoke to CBC News on the condition he not be identified said Bernier was removed because of his decision to post a chapter from his book on his website. The MP wrote that Scheer's victory as party leader was owed to "fake Conservatives" who only joined the party to defend supply management in the dairy industry.
I have known @AndrewScheer for nearly two decades. He is one of the most principled, decent people I know. Today’s Conservative Party is a mainstream, democratic coalition that is ready to govern. One man’s ego must not risk the imperative of defeating the Trudeau government.
Peter d'Entremont, who sits on the
board of directors of the Libertarian Party of Canada, said it tried to
court Bernier to leave the Conservative Party and join its cause, but he
wasn't interested.
With files from J.P. Tasker
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-maxime-bernier-analysis-1.4796944
Quebec
MP Maxime Bernier announced Thursday he is leaving the Conservative
Party of Canada and will create his own federal party. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Bernier said Thursday he is leaving the party because, under Scheer's leadership, it has failed to stand up for true conservative principles like dismantling supply management and having a fulsome debate about immigration issues. His recently tweeted views on the latter topic stirred up controversy for the party heading into this week's convention in Halifax.
In his news conference Thursday, Bernier called the party "intellectually and morally corrupt."
"It is afraid to articulate any coherent philosophy to support its positions," he said. "Every public declaration is tested with polls and focus groups. The result is a bunch of platitudes that don't offend anybody, but also don't mean anything and don't motivate anyone.
"Andrew Scheer keeps talking about his 'positive Conservative vision. But nobody knows what that vision is."
Scheer will have to counter Bernier's claims in his keynote speech to the convention on Friday — arguably the most important speech of his career.
Conservative MPs like B.C.'s Todd Doherty were busy doing their part Thursday to try to challenge Bernier's rhetoric. The fisheries critic used a new hashtag to describe Bernier: #twittertough, a reference to what he considers to be Bernier's tough talk on Twitter compared to his silence in caucus when policy issues were discussed.
"A debate on ideas?? Laughable. You had every opportunity to help provide policy ideas as a respected caucus member. You've chosen to put the future of @MaximeBernier before the future of [Canada] #loser," he tweeted.
"I think Max was afraid to come to caucus to have the debate he feels he was not afforded. It's a policy convention..?!? And @MaximeBernier prefers to talk tough on Twitter & runs away. #twittertough."
Even some former Bernier backers, like Conservative Quebec Sen. Leo Housakos, have made it clear they won't be following him.
"The leadership race is long over, and from the moment Andrew Scheer was named leader he has had my full support," he said in a statement to CBC News. "Andrew has shown leadership in allowing all of caucus the opportunity for input on any number of issues. Maxime chose a different route."
Conservative Ontario Sen. Nicole Eaton, another former Bernier supporter, said she was happy Bernier left caucus after his latest "tantrum."
"There is nothing like personal ambition, vanity and a lack of discipline to destroy a career. Maxime, the poster child of the above. So much for public service," she tweeted.
Despite the negative reaction, the political observers CBC News spoke with Thursday said Bernier is well positioned to pry some voters from the Scheer-led party given his success in the leadership race.
In Bernier's Beauce riding, eight of the nine members of the local Conservative riding association resigned Thursday.
"We've always been there more for Maxime than for the party," riding president Charles Laflamme told Radio-Canada. "The support was for Maxime."
With a file from CBC's Catou MacKinnon
With files from J.P. Tasker
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tasker-maxime-bernier-analysis-1.4796944
Facing a schism, Conservatives try to knock Maxime Bernier down a peg
'If he works as hard as he has in the Conservative Party, we don't have a lot to worry about,' Tory MP says
It's
not the first time the conservative movement has faced a schism, but
the prospect of two small-c conservative parties vying for voters in the
next federal election has put Conservative parliamentarians on the
offensive as they try to refocus after Maxime Bernier's dramatic departure from the party.
Key members of the movement lined up behind Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on Thursday after Bernier announced he is creating his own party to take on that of his former leadership rival.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, the man who successfully led the party through rocky political waters after the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties merged, said with Bernier gone, the party can move forward united behind Scheer.
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives," Harper tweeted.
Sensing the threat of some Conservative voters jumping ship to the soon-to-be-named Bernier party, his former caucus colleagues went on the attack trying to diminish the Quebec MP's standing among the party faithful.
The strategy? Paint Bernier as an ego-driven politician who's left his longtime colleagues in the lurch.
Tory MPs were quick to brand Bernier as a man only out for himself, the opposite of a team player — going so far as to suggest Bernier has been a slacker as an MP.
"What's his track record?" Alberta MP Michelle Rempel asked reporters.
She said she's fighting the good fight in Ottawa, taking the Liberal government to task over its plan for a national carbon tax and what she says is its mishandling of the asylum seekers file — introducing motions, going on the offensive at parliamentary committees, using the tools of a parliamentarian to hold the government to account.
"If he works as hard as he has in the Conservative Party, we don't have a lot to worry about," Rempel said when asked if she thought Bernier's new party would be an electoral threat.
Rachel Curran,
Harper's former director of policy, said while there's no doubt a
robust Bernier-backed party that espouses libertarian values could hurt
Conservatives, it's still an open question as to whether Bernier will do
the work necessary to get the party off the ground in time for an
expected October 2019 election.
"One interesting [question] is whether Bernier has the work ethic and resources to set up and run a new federal party, complete with election candidates, over the next year," she said. "That is no small task. He has support, but does he have the stomach for the thankless grind outside Twitter?"
Even with that uncertainty, Curran said the Liberals must be "breaking out the champagne" at the prospect of two conservative-minded parties competing for voters in 2019.
Key members of the movement lined up behind Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on Thursday after Bernier announced he is creating his own party to take on that of his former leadership rival.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, the man who successfully led the party through rocky political waters after the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties merged, said with Bernier gone, the party can move forward united behind Scheer.
"It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives," Harper tweeted.
It is clear that Max never accepted the result of the leadership vote and seeks only to divide Conservatives. His decision today allows the Conservative Party of Canada to move forward united behind our Leader @AndrewScheer.
Sensing the threat of some Conservative voters jumping ship to the soon-to-be-named Bernier party, his former caucus colleagues went on the attack trying to diminish the Quebec MP's standing among the party faithful.
The strategy? Paint Bernier as an ego-driven politician who's left his longtime colleagues in the lurch.
Tory MPs were quick to brand Bernier as a man only out for himself, the opposite of a team player — going so far as to suggest Bernier has been a slacker as an MP.
"What's his track record?" Alberta MP Michelle Rempel asked reporters.
She said she's fighting the good fight in Ottawa, taking the Liberal government to task over its plan for a national carbon tax and what she says is its mishandling of the asylum seekers file — introducing motions, going on the offensive at parliamentary committees, using the tools of a parliamentarian to hold the government to account.
If he works as hard as he has in the Conservative Party, we don't have a lot to worry about.- Conservative MP Michelle RempelShe said Bernier has done none of that in the year since he narrowly lost the party's leadership race to Scheer.
"If he works as hard as he has in the Conservative Party, we don't have a lot to worry about," Rempel said when asked if she thought Bernier's new party would be an electoral threat.
"One interesting [question] is whether Bernier has the work ethic and resources to set up and run a new federal party, complete with election candidates, over the next year," she said. "That is no small task. He has support, but does he have the stomach for the thankless grind outside Twitter?"
Even with that uncertainty, Curran said the Liberals must be "breaking out the champagne" at the prospect of two conservative-minded parties competing for voters in 2019.
One interesting Q is whether Bernier has the work ethic and resources to set up and run a new federal party, complete with election candidates, over the next year. That is no small task. He has support, but does he have the stomach for the thankless grind outside twitter?
Bernier said Thursday he is leaving the party because, under Scheer's leadership, it has failed to stand up for true conservative principles like dismantling supply management and having a fulsome debate about immigration issues. His recently tweeted views on the latter topic stirred up controversy for the party heading into this week's convention in Halifax.
In his news conference Thursday, Bernier called the party "intellectually and morally corrupt."
"It is afraid to articulate any coherent philosophy to support its positions," he said. "Every public declaration is tested with polls and focus groups. The result is a bunch of platitudes that don't offend anybody, but also don't mean anything and don't motivate anyone.
Bernier on why he quit Tories to start his own federal party
Former Conservative MP
Maxime Bernier explains why he had to leave his "intellectually and
morally corrupt" party to strike out in his own. 1:17
Scheer will have to counter Bernier's claims in his keynote speech to the convention on Friday — arguably the most important speech of his career.
Conservative MPs like B.C.'s Todd Doherty were busy doing their part Thursday to try to challenge Bernier's rhetoric. The fisheries critic used a new hashtag to describe Bernier: #twittertough, a reference to what he considers to be Bernier's tough talk on Twitter compared to his silence in caucus when policy issues were discussed.
Hey Maxime ..remember how I challenged you in an email? Remember how you blamed it all on people around you and how you apologized profusely? How you said you were committed to our team? Wow. You are such a.
"A debate on ideas?? Laughable. You had every opportunity to help provide policy ideas as a respected caucus member. You've chosen to put the future of @MaximeBernier before the future of [Canada] #loser," he tweeted.
"I think Max was afraid to come to caucus to have the debate he feels he was not afforded. It's a policy convention..?!? And @MaximeBernier prefers to talk tough on Twitter & runs away. #twittertough."
Even some former Bernier backers, like Conservative Quebec Sen. Leo Housakos, have made it clear they won't be following him.
"The leadership race is long over, and from the moment Andrew Scheer was named leader he has had my full support," he said in a statement to CBC News. "Andrew has shown leadership in allowing all of caucus the opportunity for input on any number of issues. Maxime chose a different route."
Conservative Ontario Sen. Nicole Eaton, another former Bernier supporter, said she was happy Bernier left caucus after his latest "tantrum."
There is nothing like personal ambition, vanity and a lack of discipline to destroy a career. Maxime, the poster child of the above. So much for public service.
"There is nothing like personal ambition, vanity and a lack of discipline to destroy a career. Maxime, the poster child of the above. So much for public service," she tweeted.
Despite the negative reaction, the political observers CBC News spoke with Thursday said Bernier is well positioned to pry some voters from the Scheer-led party given his success in the leadership race.
In Bernier's Beauce riding, eight of the nine members of the local Conservative riding association resigned Thursday.
"We've always been there more for Maxime than for the party," riding president Charles Laflamme told Radio-Canada. "The support was for Maxime."
With a file from CBC's Catou MacKinnon
About the Author
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/maxime-bernier-conservative-leader-1.4123365
Maxime Bernier launched political career on family name, now looks to forge new party
Tossed from the front bench by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, Bernier strikes out on his own
After
being tossed from his party's front bench by Conservative Leader Andrew
Scheer and after weeks of controversial tweets that have led some in
his own party to criticize him, Maxime Bernier is striking out on his
own to form a new conservative-minded federal party.
The free-market libertarian — once dubbed "the Albertan from Quebec" — says he plans to create a party that will deliver a laissez-faire platform promising to lower taxes, cut regulatory red tape, uphold civil rights and perhaps most notably, end supply management in Canada's dairy sector.
One of the first priorities for the MP from Beauce, Que., will be to meet with supporters in the next few weeks to gather a flock that will form the foundation for his new pan-Canadian conservative political machine.
Then begins the challenging task of selecting candidates to run in 338 ridings across the country in time for the 2019 general election.
Bernier's decision to strike out on his own comes after four back-to-back majority wins in his own riding, where he pushed some policies that are wildly unpopular in other parts of his home province of Quebec.
Chief among them is his desire to scrap supply management in Canada's dairy sector. In a chapter of Bernier's unpublished book, parts of which were posted online, he argued that "fake Conservatives" joined the party during the leadership race just so they could cast a vote for Andrew Scheer, who supported supply management.
Fourteen candidates were vying to replace former Conservative leader Stephen Harper, with Scheer being chosen and Bernier placing a very close second.
Canadians have yet to see a platform for Bernier's new political machine, but when he was running to be Conservative leader he said he wanted to end "corporate welfare," including subsidies to Quebec-based aerospace giant Bombardier.
He also wants to abolish the supply management system he says protects domestic farmers in the dairy sector by driving up prices for consumers.
"He's not trying to please the special interests that benefit from these policies. He's trying to work for the interests of 35 million Canadians," his top policy adviser, Martin Masse, told CBC News during his leadership run.
Bernier was joined at the leadership convention by his partner, Catherine Letarte. (Fred Thornhill/Canadian Press)
Masse met Bernier in 2003, when both men were involved with the Montreal Economic Institute, a free-market think-tank.
The pair clicked, sharing a vision for Canada framed by smaller government and lower taxes.
Before becoming vice-president at the institute, Bernier had honed his credentials working at various financial and banking institutions. He had also earned a commerce degree from the University of Quebec at Montreal and a law degree from the University of Ottawa.
Bernier explained Thursday that Masse left the institute this week and would be working with him on his new project on a full-time basis.
Bernier was born in St-Georges-de-Beauce and is the son of Gilles Bernier, a popular radio show host who represented the riding in Ottawa from 1984 to 1997 as a Progressive Conservative and then as an Independent.
Bernier with longtime friend and adviser Martin Masse, who will be helping to set up the new party. (Submitted )
The
senior Bernier was barred from running under the federal Progressive
Conservative banner due to fraud charges, of which he was later
acquitted, and later served as Canada's ambassador to Haiti.
Maxime Bernier first ran for his father's old seat in 2006 and won, then won re-election three times.
On Thursday, all but one member of the local Conservative association in Bernier's riding have resigned, including Bernier's father Gilles Bernier, to join the Beauce MP's new political movement.
"We've always been there more for Maxime than for the party," president Charles Laflamme said.
Masse describes Bernier as an enthusiastic leader who inspires and motivates based on building common goals and ideas, not taking a top-down approach.
He concedes one of Bernier's biggest challenges in running for the Conservative leadership was to shed a persistent public perception that he is intellectual lightweight, an image cemented by a series of gaffes while serving as a minister in Harper's cabinet.
He was mocked for delivering Joe Louis cakes to the troops in Afghanistan, because they said they would prefer steak and beer.
Bernier
was forced to resign as foreign affairs minister in 2008 after leaving
government documents at the home of his then-girlfriend Julie Couillard,
left. By 2011 he was back in the Harper cabinet. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
But
most memorable was the high-profile security breach scandal of 2008,
when Bernier left confidential documents at the home of his then
girlfriend, Julie Couillard. At the time, he was foreign affairs
minister and she had past ties to the Hells Angels biker gang.
Masse said the episode left Bernier the butt of jokes and shaped a negative view in the public eye. But he staged a comeback and six months later, was planting the seeds for even bigger political ambitions.
Masse told CBC News in April 2017 that Canadians would come to see that Bernier had developed sound policy planks based on voracious reading, deep thinking and vigorous debate.
"He is very serious. He just doesn't take himself too seriously," Masse said last year. "He doesn't try to put on airs of some kind of serious intellectual. He's exactly how he is: He's a happy warrior, he's enthusiastic. He likes what he's doing and he wants to have fun as well."
Bernier,
shown in 1971 as an eight-year-old, was born in St-Georges-de-Beauce
and is the son of Gilles Bernier, a popular radio show host who held the
riding from 1984 to 1997. (Submitted )
But a Twitter exchange about systemic racism with black Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes this spring raised some eyebrows.
And as controversial recent tweets warning of "radical multiculturalism" and decrying the Liberals' emphasis on diversity began to dominate the political news cycle, Bernier's comments were seen as a headache for his party.
"The language coming from Mr. Bernier and other circles within the Conservative Party, it's unfortunate divisive language at a time when we need more empathy for the plight of our fellow humans," said NDP MP Alistair MacGregor this week.
Longtime Conservative MP Tony Clement, who has been critical of Bernier's tweets decrying immigration and multiculturalism, initially supported him during the party's leadership race, saying the Beauce politician was the best-positioned in a crowded field of candidates to beat Trudeau in the next election.
"Max is very disciplined intellectually and he has thought through his policy planks so we'll be able to defend them," he said in 2017. "He also has passion, and passion is important in politics. And the combination of being passionately in favour of things that are going to help Canadians and being able to articulate them is a really good combination."
Working closely behind the scenes as key cabinet ministers trying to find savings in federal spending, Clement said Bernier was quick to roll up his sleeves and meticulously scour line by line details to achieve the big-picture objective.
Bernier played high school football and is currently a long-distance runner. (Submitted )
Clement's
support for Bernier tanked in the wake of the Beauce MP's tweets about
"extreme multiculturalism" and Canada becoming too diverse a country
under the Trudeau government.
"The Max Bernier that I supported during the leadership race wouldn't have taken the position he's taking now," Clement said recently.
"I think that Max may soon find that he's a guy raging at the sky rather than being taken seriously on some of these things," he added.
Family and physical fitness have been lifelong priorities for Bernier. He played for the school football team as a teenager and was a marathon runner.
Bernier once ran more than 100 kilometres across his riding to raise money for a local food bank. (Submitted )
In September 2013, he ran 107 kilometres across his riding in 13 hours, raising more than $153,000 for a local food bank.
After entering politics in 2006, Bernier served in the industry, foreign affairs and small business and tourism portfolios.
In opposition, he was named critic for innovation, science and economic development shortly after Scheer won the leadership, but was removed from that role in June after posting a chapter from his book on his website that argued Scheer owed his leadership to "fake conservatives."
The free-market libertarian — once dubbed "the Albertan from Quebec" — says he plans to create a party that will deliver a laissez-faire platform promising to lower taxes, cut regulatory red tape, uphold civil rights and perhaps most notably, end supply management in Canada's dairy sector.
One of the first priorities for the MP from Beauce, Que., will be to meet with supporters in the next few weeks to gather a flock that will form the foundation for his new pan-Canadian conservative political machine.
Then begins the challenging task of selecting candidates to run in 338 ridings across the country in time for the 2019 general election.
- Candidates stress party unity in final speeches
- Conservatives return to scene of Stephen Harper's last stand
Bernier's decision to strike out on his own comes after four back-to-back majority wins in his own riding, where he pushed some policies that are wildly unpopular in other parts of his home province of Quebec.
Chief among them is his desire to scrap supply management in Canada's dairy sector. In a chapter of Bernier's unpublished book, parts of which were posted online, he argued that "fake Conservatives" joined the party during the leadership race just so they could cast a vote for Andrew Scheer, who supported supply management.
Fourteen candidates were vying to replace former Conservative leader Stephen Harper, with Scheer being chosen and Bernier placing a very close second.
End 'corporate welfare'
Canadians have yet to see a platform for Bernier's new political machine, but when he was running to be Conservative leader he said he wanted to end "corporate welfare," including subsidies to Quebec-based aerospace giant Bombardier.
He also wants to abolish the supply management system he says protects domestic farmers in the dairy sector by driving up prices for consumers.
"He's not trying to please the special interests that benefit from these policies. He's trying to work for the interests of 35 million Canadians," his top policy adviser, Martin Masse, told CBC News during his leadership run.
The pair clicked, sharing a vision for Canada framed by smaller government and lower taxes.
Before becoming vice-president at the institute, Bernier had honed his credentials working at various financial and banking institutions. He had also earned a commerce degree from the University of Quebec at Montreal and a law degree from the University of Ottawa.
Bernier explained Thursday that Masse left the institute this week and would be working with him on his new project on a full-time basis.
Bernier was born in St-Georges-de-Beauce and is the son of Gilles Bernier, a popular radio show host who represented the riding in Ottawa from 1984 to 1997 as a Progressive Conservative and then as an Independent.
Maxime Bernier first ran for his father's old seat in 2006 and won, then won re-election three times.
On Thursday, all but one member of the local Conservative association in Bernier's riding have resigned, including Bernier's father Gilles Bernier, to join the Beauce MP's new political movement.
"We've always been there more for Maxime than for the party," president Charles Laflamme said.
Building common goals
Masse describes Bernier as an enthusiastic leader who inspires and motivates based on building common goals and ideas, not taking a top-down approach.
He concedes one of Bernier's biggest challenges in running for the Conservative leadership was to shed a persistent public perception that he is intellectual lightweight, an image cemented by a series of gaffes while serving as a minister in Harper's cabinet.
He was mocked for delivering Joe Louis cakes to the troops in Afghanistan, because they said they would prefer steak and beer.
Masse said the episode left Bernier the butt of jokes and shaped a negative view in the public eye. But he staged a comeback and six months later, was planting the seeds for even bigger political ambitions.
Masse told CBC News in April 2017 that Canadians would come to see that Bernier had developed sound policy planks based on voracious reading, deep thinking and vigorous debate.
'Happy warrior'
"He is very serious. He just doesn't take himself too seriously," Masse said last year. "He doesn't try to put on airs of some kind of serious intellectual. He's exactly how he is: He's a happy warrior, he's enthusiastic. He likes what he's doing and he wants to have fun as well."
And as controversial recent tweets warning of "radical multiculturalism" and decrying the Liberals' emphasis on diversity began to dominate the political news cycle, Bernier's comments were seen as a headache for his party.
"The language coming from Mr. Bernier and other circles within the Conservative Party, it's unfortunate divisive language at a time when we need more empathy for the plight of our fellow humans," said NDP MP Alistair MacGregor this week.
Longtime Conservative MP Tony Clement, who has been critical of Bernier's tweets decrying immigration and multiculturalism, initially supported him during the party's leadership race, saying the Beauce politician was the best-positioned in a crowded field of candidates to beat Trudeau in the next election.
"Max is very disciplined intellectually and he has thought through his policy planks so we'll be able to defend them," he said in 2017. "He also has passion, and passion is important in politics. And the combination of being passionately in favour of things that are going to help Canadians and being able to articulate them is a really good combination."
Working closely behind the scenes as key cabinet ministers trying to find savings in federal spending, Clement said Bernier was quick to roll up his sleeves and meticulously scour line by line details to achieve the big-picture objective.
"The Max Bernier that I supported during the leadership race wouldn't have taken the position he's taking now," Clement said recently.
"I think that Max may soon find that he's a guy raging at the sky rather than being taken seriously on some of these things," he added.
'Where the puck's going'
The 55-year-old father of two girls is now in a long-term relationship with Catherine Letarte, executive director of a non-profit community mental health organization in Montreal.Family and physical fitness have been lifelong priorities for Bernier. He played for the school football team as a teenager and was a marathon runner.
After entering politics in 2006, Bernier served in the industry, foreign affairs and small business and tourism portfolios.
In opposition, he was named critic for innovation, science and economic development shortly after Scheer won the leadership, but was removed from that role in June after posting a chapter from his book on his website that argued Scheer owed his leadership to "fake conservatives."
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