OTTAWA 鈥� Maxime Bernier insists the populist pillars of his young political party have nothing to do with opportunism and everything to do with ideology.
And if someone were to call him an ideologue, he鈥檇 take it as a compliment.
Bernier has constructed the People鈥檚 Party of sa国际传媒 by meshing his long-known libertarian convictions with a collection of more recent, strong public stances on social issues.
He has raised eyebrows and triggered controversy defending positions far different from his opponents鈥�, including calls to fight 鈥渕ass immigration鈥� and 鈥渆xtreme multiculturalism.鈥�
He called teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg 鈥渕entally unstable鈥� on Twitter, a charge he later walked back.
The veteran politician has been using his year-old party to argue for, among other ideas, fences along parts of the U.S.-sa国际传媒 frontier to stop the illegal entry of refugees, slashing immigration levels by more than half and rejecting climate-change 鈥渁larmism.鈥�
Bernier had no clear public track record of advocating for these positions during more than a decade as a Conservative MP. Nor were they part of his platform a couple of years ago when he finished a close second in the party鈥檚 leadership race to Andrew Scheer.
For example, he called leadership rival Kellie Leitch a 鈥渒araoke version of Donald Trump鈥� in a 2016 debate because of her pledges to crack down on immigration.
Bernier has since adopted Leitch鈥檚 controversial vow to screen newcomers with his own promise to introduce immigrant interviews designed to 鈥渁ssess the extent to which they align with Canadian values and societal norms.鈥�
His newer public positions raise a question: are Canadians getting the real Maxime Bernier?
鈥淚t鈥檚 not based on a political calculation,鈥� Bernier said in an interview with the Canadian Press earlier this month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 based on an ideology. And if some say that Maxime is an ideologue, well, for me I would take it as a compliment because most politicians today are at the mercy of opinion polls.鈥�
Bernier insists there鈥檚 no specific attempt to attract social or fiscal conservatives with his new party. It鈥檚 simply putting forward policies good for all Canadians, he says.
The People鈥檚 Party was launched in September 2018, only a few weeks after Bernier鈥檚 bombshell break from the Scheer-led Conservatives. On his way out, he tore into his former leader and colleagues, calling them 鈥渢oo intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed.鈥� He said Scheer, as prime minister, would just lead a more moderate version of Justin Trudeau鈥檚 鈥渄isastrous鈥� government.
At first, Bernier鈥檚 new party worried Conservatives. Rachel Curran, who was a director of policy for former prime minister Stephen Harper, wrote on Twitter at the time: 鈥淚 hope Justin Trudeau and his cabinet colleagues are breaking out the champagne 鈥� Congratulations to @gmbutts 鈥� Gerald Butts, Trudeau鈥檚 principal secretary 鈥� & co. who have secured an easy win in 2019 despite a mostly terrible summer.鈥�
It remains unclear if the People鈥檚 Party can hurt the Conservatives by drawing away votes on the right and whether it will be to able capture any seats of its own. Opinion polls have suggested the party could attract as much as four per cent of the popular vote.
Bernier argues there鈥檚 lots of potential for his party, particularly since more than 30 per cent of eligible voters did not cast ballots in 2015. With polls suggesting Canadians could elect a minority Parliament this month, he鈥檚 hoping his party can secure the influential balance-of-power position.
鈥淎t this moment, there is a certain momentum,鈥� said Bernier, who intended to run candidates in all 338 ridings.
鈥淭here is a certain political clientele for a politician who says what needs to be said and who speaks the truth, in my opinion. And who doesn鈥檛 make any compromises.鈥�
His smaller-government economic philosophy has been familiar to those who have followed his political career.
During his Conservative leadership bid 鈥� and now as leader of the People鈥檚 Party 鈥� he鈥檚 been pledging to balance the federal books within two years, to eliminate corporate welfare, such as government loans and grants, and to get rid of foreign development assistance. He鈥檚 also vowed to introduce corporate tax cuts and to phase out sa国际传媒鈥檚 supply-managed system for dairy, poultry and eggs, which he calls a 鈥渃artel.鈥�
But at the helm of his own party, Bernier has also taken up some new views. In his 2016-17 leadership platform, for instance, he said sa国际传媒 should accept 250,000 immigrants per year, down from 300,000 under the Trudeau government.
In comparison, the People鈥檚 Party platform for the 2019 election pledges to avoid putting too much financial burden on Canadians by cutting immigration to between 100,000 and 150,000 people a year.
鈥淭he primary aim of sa国际传媒鈥檚 immigration policy should be to economically benefit Canadians and sa国际传媒 as a whole,鈥� the People鈥檚 Party says in its platform. 鈥淚t should not be used to forcibly change the cultural character and social fabric of our country.鈥�
