David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @FloryGoncalves and 49 others
Methinks a lot of Proud Maritimers particularly the Dairy Farmers in Fundy Royal consider the evil lawyer Mad Max and his very nasty members to be the ultimate FRINGE Party N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/10/youve-heard-of-big-6-political-parties.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fringe-parties-canada-election-2019-1.5327413
Leader of the People’s Party of Canada Maxime Bernier stands with a soaked shirt after an audience member threw a glass of water at him after his speech to supporters in Fredericton on Sept. 17, 2019.
You've heard of the 'big 6' political parties, but what about the 'fringe 15'
From animal rights, to Christian values and communist ideals, Canada's smaller parties fight for a voice
· CBC News · Posted: Oct 19, 2019 4:00 AM ET
The Leader of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada, Sébastien 'CoRhino' Corriveau, wants to replace Canada's Arctic patrol vessels with a fleet of ships modelled on Theodore Tugboat. The Rhinos are one of 15 smaller parties running candidates in Monday's federal election. (Submitted)
While many Canadians may be familiar
with the main federal parties in Canada, many are not always aware of
the smaller political parties in this election that sit outside the
mainstream.
In all, there are 21 federal parties registered with Elections Canada. The leaders of six of those parties participated in the two televised debates put on by the Leader's Debates Commission. The remaining 15 have had to work a lot harder to get their message out.
One of those is the Communist Party of Canada, which is running candidates in 30 of Canada's 338 federal ridings.
"We're hoping to build our party and build the fight against corporate greed," said Drew Garvie, the candidate for the party in the Toronto riding of University Rosedale.
Their plan sounds simple, to "put people's needs before corporate greed," but the policy initiatives they want to implement to make their vision of Canada a reality would be far-reaching.
Some
of those initiatives include cutting the military budget by 75 per
cent, shifting the tax burden from working people to the wealthy and
corporations and nationalizing banks, natural resources and other
industries that would then be controlled by the state.
Louis Lang, a candidate for the Marxist-Leninist Party in the Quebec riding of Pontiac, also wants corporations to contribute more to the public purse.
His party, which is running 50 candidates in this election, is backing an initiative to shift the way public services such as education and health care are funded in Canada.
Instead of collecting general taxes to pay for social services, Lang said, a calculation should be made to determine what economic benefit a healthy, educated adult brings to a company. The company should then be charged what it cost the state to educate and keep that person healthy.
The Christian Heritage Party, which is running 51 candidates, is focused less on the economy and more on social conservatism. Peter Vogel, the party's election chair said the party's platform has been built around three themes: life, family and freedom.
The life theme includes calls for reversing assisted dying legislation and the protection of the "pre born." The family theme calls for the promotion of the traditional family in Canada. Vogel says that means a marriage of one man and one woman because, he said, a "family is the most stable place for children to be raised with a mother and a father."
The party says it also wants to combat media bias by defunding the CBC, which it says is biased against Christian policies and a Christian worldview.
"We're trying to keep progressing in terms of getting our message out to more Canadians," said Vogel. "That's really a major difficulty for smaller parties; getting the message out in areas that we run."
The Animal Protection Party, which is running 17 candidates, has an obvious focus on treating animals better than they are currently treated. But as deputy leader Jordan Reichert told CBC News, the party's platform also addresses issues that range from foreign affairs and health, to education and the economy.
"Our platform is the only one that gives equal consideration to people, animals and the environment," Reichert says.
All candidates of the party are vegan and the party pledges to withdraw subsidies to animal-based industries and transition to plant-based industries. They also want to implement a meat tax that would be similar to the tax on tobacco, with the aim of discouraging people from eating meat.
Of course, not every party has a radical agenda. The satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada, which is running 39 candidates, simply wants people to consider voting and paying attention to the decisions made in Ottawa, even if that means voting for them.
"As people, we have to stay aware of what is happening in Ottawa, which is very far away from most people," Sébastien "CoRhino" Corriveau, leader of the Rhinoceros party, told CBC.
"If you vote Green, that's good, then go vote Green. If you vote for the Liberals, that's good, go vote for the Liberals. But if you don't vote, if you think that all politicians are corrupt, then go vote Rhino," said Corriveau, who is hoping to unseat the Liberal minister for families, children and social development in the last Parliament, Jean-Yves Duclos, in the riding of Quebec.
The party's platform is a collection of jokes masquerading as policy initiatives that are worth a read. Some of the highlights include:
The remaining parties officially registered with Elections Canada include:
In all, there are 21 federal parties registered with Elections Canada. The leaders of six of those parties participated in the two televised debates put on by the Leader's Debates Commission. The remaining 15 have had to work a lot harder to get their message out.
One of those is the Communist Party of Canada, which is running candidates in 30 of Canada's 338 federal ridings.
"We're hoping to build our party and build the fight against corporate greed," said Drew Garvie, the candidate for the party in the Toronto riding of University Rosedale.
Their plan sounds simple, to "put people's needs before corporate greed," but the policy initiatives they want to implement to make their vision of Canada a reality would be far-reaching.
Louis Lang, a candidate for the Marxist-Leninist Party in the Quebec riding of Pontiac, also wants corporations to contribute more to the public purse.
His party, which is running 50 candidates in this election, is backing an initiative to shift the way public services such as education and health care are funded in Canada.
Instead of collecting general taxes to pay for social services, Lang said, a calculation should be made to determine what economic benefit a healthy, educated adult brings to a company. The company should then be charged what it cost the state to educate and keep that person healthy.
Social conservative vision
The Christian Heritage Party, which is running 51 candidates, is focused less on the economy and more on social conservatism. Peter Vogel, the party's election chair said the party's platform has been built around three themes: life, family and freedom.
The life theme includes calls for reversing assisted dying legislation and the protection of the "pre born." The family theme calls for the promotion of the traditional family in Canada. Vogel says that means a marriage of one man and one woman because, he said, a "family is the most stable place for children to be raised with a mother and a father."
The party says it also wants to combat media bias by defunding the CBC, which it says is biased against Christian policies and a Christian worldview.
"We're trying to keep progressing in terms of getting our message out to more Canadians," said Vogel. "That's really a major difficulty for smaller parties; getting the message out in areas that we run."
Protecting animals, and more
The Animal Protection Party, which is running 17 candidates, has an obvious focus on treating animals better than they are currently treated. But as deputy leader Jordan Reichert told CBC News, the party's platform also addresses issues that range from foreign affairs and health, to education and the economy.
"Our platform is the only one that gives equal consideration to people, animals and the environment," Reichert says.
All candidates of the party are vegan and the party pledges to withdraw subsidies to animal-based industries and transition to plant-based industries. They also want to implement a meat tax that would be similar to the tax on tobacco, with the aim of discouraging people from eating meat.
Of course, not every party has a radical agenda. The satirical Rhinoceros Party of Canada, which is running 39 candidates, simply wants people to consider voting and paying attention to the decisions made in Ottawa, even if that means voting for them.
A vote for the sake of it
"As people, we have to stay aware of what is happening in Ottawa, which is very far away from most people," Sébastien "CoRhino" Corriveau, leader of the Rhinoceros party, told CBC.
"If you vote Green, that's good, then go vote Green. If you vote for the Liberals, that's good, go vote for the Liberals. But if you don't vote, if you think that all politicians are corrupt, then go vote Rhino," said Corriveau, who is hoping to unseat the Liberal minister for families, children and social development in the last Parliament, Jean-Yves Duclos, in the riding of Quebec.
The party's platform is a collection of jokes masquerading as policy initiatives that are worth a read. Some of the highlights include:
- Implementing a national program to bribe weather forecasters so they will only predict sunny skies.
- Building a "highway of pipelines" from one coast to the other that would include up to 30 individual pipelines. One would carry water from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic and another would carry water from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
- The party also wants to replace Canada's Arctic patrol vessels with a fleet of Theodore Tugboats, modelled on the one that lives in Halifax harbour. The idea, Corriveau says, is that should a dispute break out with Russia over who owns the Arctic, Canada could combat Russian missiles with Theodore smiles.
- Canada's Fourth Front - seven candidates. The party bills itself a "pro-Canada" alternative to the main federal parties.
- Canadian Nationalist Party - three candidates. A far-right party promoting the maintenance of European heritage and culture in Canada.
- Libertarian Party of Canada - 24 candidates. This party seeks to maximize personal freedom by limiting the role of government in people's lives.
- Marijuana Party - four candidates. The party wants deregulation to ensure that marijuana is as cheap and available to buy and sell as coffee.
- National Citizens Alliance of Canada - four candidates. This controversial far-right party wants to limit immigration and deport all illegal immigrants.
- Parti pour l'Indépendance du Québec - 13 candidates. This party seeks Quebec's independence from Canada.
- Progressive Canadian Party - three candidates. This party formed after the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada. Members opposed the merger.
- Stop Climate Change - two candidates. This party wants radical action to stop climate change.
- The United Party of Canada - four candidates. This left-of-centre party says it straddles both Liberal and Conservative ideology.
- Veterans Coalition Party of Canada - 25 candidates. This party describes itself as a coalition founded on truth, duty and honour.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
158 Comments
David Raymond Amos
Methinks the Leader of the Rhinoceros Party of Canada, Sébastien 'CoRhino' Corriveau should fess up and tell votes why his buddy would not run in Fundy Royal after a Lone Wolf who always runs as an Independent pounced on them again N'esy Pas?
David Raymond Amos
Methinks folks should ask CBC why they ignore all the Independent Candidates N'esy Pas?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Go Figure
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Fundy Royal campaign targets middle class with focus on jobs
Fundy Royal voters have elected Conservatives all but 1 time in 28 elections over 101 years
CBC News · Posted: Oct 17, 2015 6:00 AM AT
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Fundy Royal campaign targets middle class with focus on jobs
Fundy Royal voters have elected Conservatives all but 1 time in 28 elections over 101 years
CBC News · Posted: Oct 17, 2015 6:00 AM AT
Mike de Lind
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: More recently... https://www.cbc.ca/news/jody-wilson-raybould-and-jane-philpott-announce-they-are-running-as-independents-1.5152114
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mike de Lind: Methinks you should have noticed that I was not mentioned N'esy Pas?
Patrick Richard (AKA Patrick Richard)
The Christian Heritage Party want to defund the CBC, which it says is biased against Christian policies and a Christian worldview.
They should be glad for the CBC without which most Canadians would have never heard of the Christian Heritage Party. Just sayin'
Bob Claxton
Reply to @Patrick Richard (AKA Patrick Richard): The city of 80,000 where I live has a CBC office and radio. But no TV affiliate.
What is the need or value of CBC in our world today? Not much.
Without hearing about the CHP the thought of de-funding the CBC is never far from my thinking. Regardless of their views, what they report or what they don't report.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Patrick Richard (AKA Patrick Richard): Cry me a river
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Bob
Claxton: Methinks folks should ask their wannabe MPs why I sued the
Crown while running in the election of the 42nd Parliament N'esy Pas?
George Halbert McKinney
Reply to @Bob Claxton: " But no TV affiliate. "
And that is bad?
If I want moving pictures, I can go to cbc.ca or netflix.
And that is bad?
If I want moving pictures, I can go to cbc.ca or netflix.
Alex Forbes
Reply
to @Patrick Richard (AKA Patrick Richard): They are the only party who
will even entertain removing income taxes. That alone made me want to
vote for them.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Alex Forbes: Figures
Reply
to @George Halbert McKinney: Methinks most folks are too lazy to read
past the headlines of the corporate media but people who bother to read
blogs general read deep and share Hence we are witnessing the success of
Social Media and the failures of the corrupted
"Professional Journalists" N'esy Pas?
Alex
Forbes
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Didn't say I did vote for them. You people need reading comprehension classes
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Alex
Forbes: Methinks the same can be said of you How many times have you
ignored what I have been writing? Perhaps you should Google your name
and mine sometime and start reading N'esy Pas?
Max Knight
I voted for the party I wanted and not the party the would likely defeat the party I don't want. Strategic voting is what's failing Canadians, there are too many views points with Canadian citizens that one party can not comply with. If the party leaders aren't will to work with other party leaders in their own country what makes anyone think they are good at working on the world stage with other world leaders, where Canada's real revenue is.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Max Knight: Well put
Alex Forbes
Reply to @Max Knight:
I agree. We also need proportional representation. Then people wouldn't
even feel the need to strategically vote.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Alex Forbes: As you well know I disagree with proportional representation
Jenny Taylor
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: The New Zealand Parliamentary Model is interesting with Mixed Proportional Representation. They almost always end up with a coalition but everyone gets represented including a number of seats (representing larger areas laid over existing seats) that have strictly indigenous representation.
Alex Forbes
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Why? It is by far a better system.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Alex
Forbes: Nope its just a way for political parties that could not get
elected to climb on the gravy train and in doing so they would displace
people who were actually elected
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Jenny
Taylor: Methinks the current system is just fine with two exceptions
which I told to the ERRE Committee on Thanksgiving 2016.(Anyone may
search the parliamentary records of theCommittee in order to hear it or
read the transcript)
Number one like Australia voting should be mandatory
Number two All the ballots should have one more line at the bottom stating "None of the Above" if it got the majority of the vote then there should be a by-election called immediately N'esy Pas?
Number one like Australia voting should be mandatory
Number two All the ballots should have one more line at the bottom stating "None of the Above" if it got the majority of the vote then there should be a by-election called immediately N'esy Pas?
R. Gabrielle Berry
What is Canada devolving into?
We have the PPC fighting against an "secret" enemy that they cannot so much as identify, which I feel must be heartbreaking to Maxime Bernier who has worked tirelessly to make his party known.
I will tell you truly that for the first time in my life, I am afraid for Canadian democracy. I don't know what's happening to my country.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @R. Gabrielle Berry: Yea Right Say Hey to the lawyer Mad Max for me will ya?
Brian Spence
Colonialism has run it's course.
We need a Canadian Queen for Turtle Island.
Politely ask the Colonialist-Monarchials to brexit from Canada, too.
They can't help, even if they wanted to.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Brian Spence: Methinks you should back away from the pipe for a while and take a nap N'esy Pas?
Karl Gustav
Rhinoceros party likes to joke, but the biggest clown around is Jussie
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Karl Gustav: I agree
Kyle Billing
Why ?
The non voter will be excluded again.
Why do we care about the voters voting for fringe parties?
In disregarding the non voter, we are disregarding human beings and their motivations.
We cannot have a democratic nation, with or without fringe parties, if we disregard humans who are eligible to vote. It just can't work.
It's also why the Big Three only fight for the 30% they want, instead of the 100% they are employed by.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kyle
Billing: I am finally permitted to vote again afte nearly 20 years of
being denied that right. However I cannot vote for myself because I now
live on the wrong side of the boundary line for Fundy Royal. I see
nobody worthy of a vote in New Brunswick Southwest do instead of
destroying my ballot I simply won't vote at all. I believe that act of
protest is still legal N'esy Pas?
Douglas Locke
Reply to @Kyle
Billing: non voters are not doing their part to keep democracy in our
country. By not voting you are giving up your right to complain about
the government and it's policies, you are abdicating your civic
responsibility and you are denying your own freedom. Not voting is not a
protest, it is an act of apathy.
Mike de
Lind
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: It's legal, but also basically invisible as an act of protest.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Mike de
Lind: What do you say about my debates with my political foes as I run
in the same election against them While is the arguments invisible as
well?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Douglas Locke: Obviously I strongly disagree and putting my name 7 ballots thus far is proof of the pudding
Laine Smith
I like everything about the Christian Heritage Party
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Laine
Smith: Methinks after running in 7 elections I have every right to say
that I know for a fact that the party you adore and all the other
political gangs are FAR from ethical N'esy Pas?
Tristan Gummow
I can agree with some things the fringe parties want like....
Defunding CBC
Deregulating marijuana
Deporting criminals/illegals
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Tristan Gummow: Me Too
Scott Telfer
The Rhinos are hilarious....
....you can always count on them to bring a little levity during federal elections....
...I'd vote for them just for the irreverence. :-)
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Scott Telfer: Trust that I have talked to their leaders personally and the last thing they are is funny
Joseph Alvarez
Two fringe group candidates in my riding. They will lose their deposit as will 2 of the mainstream parties . 7 choices . One party will take 70% of the ballots
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Joseph Alvarez: No deposit is required in this election
Jenny Kwong
Bernier should have taken over the Libertarian party instead of creating his own.
People’s party is s terrible name.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Jenny Kwong: Nobody would trust the lawyer called Mad Max That is why he had to create his own party
Kris Klein
Reply to @David Raymond Amos: Scheer bought the dairy farmers vote for leadership of the CPC, that's what happened
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Kris Klein: Methinks many would agree that they bought him N'esy Pas?
Jenny Kwong
If we had PR system of government these cast of characters would be in the HoC.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Jenny Kwong: Yea Right
Thomas Desjardis
And after this election hopefully we can add the Liberal Party of Canada to this list.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Thomas Desjardis: Dream on
Mo Bennett
and here we thought it was Andy's reformacons that were the only true fringe party.
Jenny Kwong
Reply to @mo bennett:
30-40% of support for a party is not fringe.
30-40% of support for a party is not fringe.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO I see that you are early as usual and making your comments about the circus as usual N'esy Pas?
Tina Falco
Reply to @Jenny Kwong:
To reference your post that I responded to...so this is the "cast of characters" you support.
Gotcha.
To reference your post that I responded to...so this is the "cast of characters" you support.
Gotcha.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Tina Falco: I am part of the cast of characters running in this election and you certainly ain't got me
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO Methinks you should confess to the ladies that you know the ultimate fringe party belongs to Mad Max N'esy Pas?
Mo Bennett
go sit in the corner. don't forget yer pointy hat.
Brian
Spence
Reply to @mo bennett:
If that fails, try prayer.
Cannabis will get you through periods of no-elections.
Elections will not get you through a time of no-cannabis.
Spark-up the Marijuana party as you wait-in-line to vote.
If you are a cannabis-patient, they can't stop you.
You are just following your doctors-orders.
If that fails, try prayer.
Cannabis will get you through periods of no-elections.
Elections will not get you through a time of no-cannabis.
Spark-up the Marijuana party as you wait-in-line to vote.
If you are a cannabis-patient, they can't stop you.
You are just following your doctors-orders.
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @mo bennett: YO MO Why is it that I feel you are directing that comment towards me?
David Raymond Amos
Reply to @Brian
Spence: Methinks you really need to back away from the pipe for a while
and go for long walk in the forest to get some fresh oxygen in orderto
clear your mind N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/maxime-bernier-rhino-party-beauce-1.5278902
Sowing confusion, Rhino party fields candidate named Maxime Bernier in Beauce
Satirical party takes aim at leader of People's Party of Canada by running candidate with same name
· CBC News · Posted: Sep 11, 2019 9:40 AM ET
Maxime Bernier (right), a 42-year-old delivery man from Lac Saint-Jean, is running in the same riding as PPC leader Maxime Bernier. (Rhinoceros Party)
The Rhinoceros Party is hoping name recognition will give their newest candidate a leg up in the Beauce region, or at the very least sow confusion.
The party has nominated a candidate named Maxime Bernier where the leader of the People's Party of Canada, who has the same name, is also running.
In an interview with CBC News, Bernier said he was approached by members of the satirical party on Facebook and asked if he wanted to run.
Although he's never met the PPC leader, he said it was impossible to avoid the association.
"For the last 20 years, I'd say my name, and I'd hear exactly what Maxime Bernier was doing," he said, adding that people would often joke about how they have the same name.
"This is like, we'll switch the roles. And we'll see if people like me more than him!" he said.
"It's like a payback, but without any bad [intentions]."
Despite the tongue-in-cheek reason he was approached, Bernier said he's serious about running a campaign.
"They asked me at the beginning if I could be just a name," he said. "And I refused that. If I'm doing to do it, I do it all, or I'm not doing it at all."
People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier is running in Beauce again in 2019. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
The 42-year-old from Lac Saint-Jean, who works in the delivery sector, said he plans on focusing on local issues that concern the Beauce, instead of national issues.
"Maxime Bernier thinks it's a bigger concern to fight with a little 16-year-old girl… and tell everybody that [climate change] is not happening, that it's just a story to scare kids, instead of taking care of the people that are supposed to vote for him," he said, referring to Bernier's comments about teenaged climate activist, Greta Thunberg.
"The way he's thinking, I really think it's from another century."
He said that his campaign would focus on the needs of people in Beauce, especially those in the agricultural and dairy sectors, "because they're the ones that elect me."
"I'm not going to try to win Ontario because I want to be the chief of a party," he said.
In a statement to Radio-Canada, the PPC said it was "a good joke" but that they were "confident that the people of Beauce will vote for the Maxime Bernier they know, and not the one imported from Lac Saint-Jean."
As for the Rhino candidate, he said that if anyone is confused, they can refer back to his slogan.
"If you're not sure, then vote for both!"
About the Author
https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/news/politics/election-2019/bernier/wcm/6bb8faec-8d6e-4b87-89c7-e82cdd8d6ff0?video_autoplay=true
In the Beauce, a 'handshake campaign' could decide the future of Maxime Bernier and his People's Party
What matters above all in the Beauce, it seems, is whether Bernier is still one of them
Published on: October 3, 2019
Leader of the People’s Party of Canada Maxime Bernier stands with a soaked shirt after an audience member threw a glass of water at him after his speech to supporters in Fredericton on Sept. 17, 2019.
BEAUCE, QUE. — The thing to know about the other Maxime Bernier is that he’s not as funny as you might expect. He’s not really that funny at all.
When the Rhinoceros Party, a satirical political protest party, announced last month it had found its own Maxime Bernier to run against the People’s Party leader in Beauce, Que., it was decidedly tongue-in-cheek.
But Rhino-Bernier isn’t taking this lightly. He’s been out to the Beauce twice so far to gather the 100 signatures he needed to appear on the ballot, and he plans to go back. He’s motivated in part by his belief that the real Maxime Bernier, who founded the People’s Party of Canada a year ago after losing the Conservative leadership race and quitting the party, has left the people of the Beauce behind.
“I feel like I could for sure do a better job than him, because he’s not even there,” he told the National Post. It’s a strange mission for a satirical candidate, but perhaps unwittingly, Rhino-Bernier has put his finger on the question at the heart of Maxime Bernier’s political future.
Bernier — the real one — has gotten most of his attention lately for his controversial statements: saying he’s against “mass immigration,” claiming there’s no scientific consensus on climate change and calling teenage activist Greta Thunberg “mentally unstable.”
But in the Beauce, where Bernier was born and raised, these are not the positions that will win or lose him the election. The fact that Bernier launched his own right-wing populist party is of secondary importance here.
Bernier — the real one — has gotten most of his attention lately for his controversial statementsWhat matters in the Beauce, it seems, is whether Bernier is still one of them, whether he really is defending “Beauceronnes” values, as his campaign signs proclaim. He has almost certainly lost the vote of the region’s dairy farmers, who benefit from the supply management system Bernier has promised to dismantle. He will have to make do with what’s left.
The People’s Party is currently polling nation-wide at less than three per cent. It remains a long shot to win any seat other than Bernier’s, and his is far from a sure thing. Though Bernier insists his party is here to stay, its future may now rest in the hands of 90,000 Beaucerons, who are deciding who the real Maxime Bernier really is.
The Beauce is a large agricultural region stretching south of Quebec City to the U.S. border, dotted with small communities. The high concentration of dairy farmers in the region played a role in Bernier’s narrow loss to Conservative leader Andrew Scheer during the 2017 Tory leadership race. Bernier promised to abolish supply management, which ensures stable prices for farmers who produce dairy, poultry and eggs, and Quebec’s powerful dairy lobby mobilized against him.
But the Beauce also prides itself on its entrepreneurial spirit. For many in the region, a serious labour shortage is top of mind these days. Locals point to the “Help Wanted” signs out front of many businesses.
Beaucerons first elected Bernier as their Conservative MP in 2006. His father, Gilles Bernier, also represented the Beauce in the House of Commons from 1984 to 1997. “Before this, there was no campaign,” said Raymond Beaudet, a local retiree. “Maxime could do whatever he wanted. His riding was a given — it was from father to son. But now that’s done. We have a real campaign.”
This is a riding where being known and liked matters considerably more than belonging to any particular party — one campaign manager referred to the election here as a “handshake campaign.”
“Here in Beauce, (people vote) for the man,” said Nancy Labbé, executive director of a local chamber of commerce. “It’s always been like that. The person has to be present.
”
That was especially evident at a recent beer festival in the central square of Sainte-Marie, a small town of about 13,500 that has been celebrating its 275th anniversary this year. Bernier and his main rival, Conservative candidate Richard Lehoux, were both present, chatting with people, sipping beer.
Both men are fixtures here. Lehoux, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, was mayor of nearby Saint-Elzéar for nearly two decades. He’s chatty and down-to-earth, and everyone seems to know him. In an interview, he told the National Post that Beaucerons are welcoming people, and he doesn’t think Bernier’s new, populist streak will fly well at home. “People here have always had the reputation of being on the right,” he said. “But never the extreme right.”
Related
Bernier is a different type of politician entirely — charming, charismatic, well-dressed. But here, his approach is no different from Lehoux’s. He chats with supporters, looking relaxed. “I think here in Beauce, people are very honest,” he told the Post. “And they don’t like a politician that will say something one day and the opposite the other day. So maybe some of them won’t agree with all of our platform, but globally, they like what I’m doing.”There’s only one moment at the festival where it seems like Bernier’s about to be challenged on one of his party’s more controversial policies, a plan to drastically cut immigration. He’s approached by Claude Hervé Kouassi, who arrived in Canada four years ago from Ivory Coast, and wants to know about Bernier’s policy on immigration.
Bernier tells him he wants to see Canada take in economic immigrants — “like you,” he says — but he doesn’t want more asylum seekers crossing the border illegally. Kouassi agrees, and Bernier looks triumphant.
Mostly, though, these are not the questions on people’s minds here. What matters more, to some, is a sense that Bernier’s new political movement has removed him somewhat from his constituents’ concerns. “Now that he’s started this party, he’s turned his back on us a little bit,” said Mario Bonneville. “It’s not the Maxime Bernier from 10 years ago. … He has new ideas that maybe don’t work here.”
When I go to the restaurant, people aren’t talking about the opinion of Mr. Bernier on abortion. They talk about how we need labourBonneville said Bernier built up his reputation the old-fashioned way, going door-to-door, attending local events. He still does those things, Bonneville said, but the ideas he talks about now aren’t necessarily what people want to hear.
“When I go to the restaurant, people aren’t talking about the opinion of Mr. Bernier on abortion,” said Labbé. “They talk about how we need labour.”
In Lehoux, the Conservatives hope they’ve found someone just as popular as Bernier, but who’s still immersed in his community. Last November, Scheer travelled to the riding to announce Lehoux’s candidacy, signalling the party is determined to bring this seat back into the Conservative fold.
And plenty of folks here will vote for Lehoux. “He’s a farmer, he comes from Saint-Elzéar,” said Linda Nadeau, who was at the festival with a couple of friends. “I’m from Saint-Elzéar, I’m a farmer. So I’m going to go for him.”
But everyone knows this will be a close campaign in a riding where loyalties run deep. The Liberals are even hoping their candidate, Adam Veilleux, could sneak up the middle to take the seat if the vote ends up evenly split between the People’s Party and the Conservatives. “It’s going to be a very tight race,” said Veilleux. “We’ve got a very good chance now.”
One thing that’s clear is that Bernier will have to win this riding without the support of the region’s dairy farmers. The People’s Party leader has stood firm on his desire to scrap supply management, insisting it protects only a “small cartel” of farmers. “Maxime Bernier had traditional support that he’s lost, because he’s burned bridges behind him with all the agricultural folks,” Beaudet said.
“There’s no way to come back from that.”
At the festival, one of Bernier’s supporters mentions that people have been taking down his campaign signs in some parts of the riding. He’s pretty sure it’s the local farmers.
Bernier insists that whatever the outcome of this election, the People’s Party isn’t going anywhere.
He says he doesn’t believe the polls that suggest his party is only a marginal factor in this campaign.
But it’s difficult to see much of a future for the party if Bernier doesn’t win his own seat. And in the Beauce, this election isn’t a decision about the People’s Party so much as it’s a referendum on Maxime Bernier.
To that end, Beaudet said, the other Maxime Bernier — Rhino-Bernier — could actually help the People’s Party leader. Not everyone here will take kindly to seeing their MP made the butt of a joke. “Beaucerons are proud,” he said. “People will say, ‘Look what they’re trying to do to him.’
“He’s still one of ours. And if you attack one of ours, Beaucerons will react in solidarity.”
• Email: mforrest@postmedia.com | Twitter: MauraForrest
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