Initial Thoughts
This party formed back when Maxime Bernier was passed over for leadership of the Conservative Party. He threw a fit and started the People’s Party. A place where he could finally be in charge. Almost nobody took them seriously for votes, and they don’t tend to perform well these days either. There are no candidates in my riding. Nevertheless, let’s see what we can learn.
Check out their Barney The Dinosaur website where you can find out about all sorts of things. Like this following article for example.
The leader of the People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, today addressed what he describes as the “phony process” set up by the Leaders’ Debates Commission to exclude him from the debates. He was holding a press conference devoted to discussing mass immigration at the border with Maine in Saint-Theophile, QC, at the southern tip of his Beauce riding.
Bernier referred to a TV report about his campaign launch aired last night on Radio-Canada’s Le Téléjournal, in which the host Céline Galipeau described him as “a leader who won’t be at the debates, Maxime Bernier” (our translation).
The clip can be viewed here on his X account: https://x.com/MaximeBernier/status/1904532215859487087
“How is it possible that Ms. Galipeau know this already? I think I have the answer. Radio-Canada/CBC will produce the debates, so they’re talking to the Commission, and I presume everybody there already knows that I won’t be invited. And she spilled the beans live on TV, probably unintentionally.”
The PPC has been invited to send a representative to a preparation meeting at La Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal next Monday, March 31st, one day before the Commission announces its decision on Mr. Bernier’s participation. But the party will not waste precious time during an extremely busy campaign to play this silly game and legitimize the Commission’s phony process. “The dice are loaded,” says the PPC leader.
“Under the 2021 rules, I would automatically have been invited, because the PPC received almost 5% of the vote in the last election. But it’s obvious that the Commission changed the rules only to exclude us,” concluded the PPC leader.
See, nobody takes them seriously.
The People’s Party of Canada brings together common sense, populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism to create solutions adapted for the challenges of the 21st century. Our beliefs are succinctly summarized in our four founding principles: Freedom, Responsibility, Fairness and Respect. These principles guide and inform the policies of the People’s Party.
Maxime Bernier, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister in Stephen Harper’s government, formed the PPC in 2018 after realizing that the Conservative Party of Canada was too intellectually and morally corrupt to reform, having abandoned conservative principles long ago.
Our mission is to offer Canadians a real principled alternative to the corrupt establishment parties, which rely on pandering and vote-buying schemes to further their interests and those of lobbyists, rather than those of the people.
We envision a bright future where the government puts Canadians first, instead of trying to please other countries and global organizations. Where politicians and bureaucrats get out of your way rather than trying to control the economy and every aspect of your life. Where our country is united in pursuit of common goals instead of being divided by identity politics.
We want to make Canada a place where you and your family can thrive instead of just getting by, and achieve your dreams, no matter how big or small they are.
We invite you to check out our platform and become a member. Join us, and together we can make Canada a freer and more prosperous country we are proud to call home!
axime Bernier is a politician known for his frankness and authenticity.
A man of ideas, he is committed to individual FREEDOM and personal RESPONSIBILITY, RESPECT for Canada’s cultural heritage, as well as governance that ensures that every citizen is treated FAIRLY, principles that are at the heart of his political vision.
Maxime Bernier was born on 18 January 1963 in St-Georges de Beauce. He is the father of two daughters. He is married to his second wife Catherine Letarte.
In 1985, Maxime Bernier obtained a BA in Commerce from the Université du Québec à Montréal and began law studies at the University of Ottawa before being admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1990. During his professional career, he worked for several financial and banking institutions before becoming vice-president of the Montreal Economic Institute in 2005.
Encouraged to make the leap into active politics, he was elected Member of Parliament for Beauce on January 23, 2006 with the largest majority for a Conservative MP outside of Alberta. He was then appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Industry.
Professor Richard J. Schultz, Director of the Department of Political Science at McGill University, has written that “in terms of what is perhaps the single most important component of his Industry portfolio, telecommunications, he was without challenge the best Industry Minister in thirty years.”
Maxime Bernier then served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 2007 to May 2008, a position he left following a resounding scandal involving secret documents left at his then girlfriend’s home. He was nevertheless re-elected as MP for Beauce in October 2008, and again in May 2011. He was then appointed Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism. He won his fourth election in November 2015, again with an impressive majority.
A seasoned runner, Maxime Bernier has taken part in several marathons. His determination and courage enabled him in 2013 to cross his riding of Beauce from south to north in 13 hours, a distance of 106 km, a feat that allowed him to raise $165,000 for the food bank of Beauce.
In 2016, he entered the leadership race to succeed Stephen Harper at the helm of the Conservative Party of Canada, a race he lost a year later by only 1% of the vote under questionable circumstances of vote manipulation.
On August 23, 2018, Maxime Bernier left the Conservative Party, a party he no longer believed in and denounced as “morally and intellectually corrupt,” to sit as an independent member of Parliament (read his statement here). He officially launched the People’s Party of Canada a few weeks later, on 14 September. He lost his seat as Member of Parliament for Beauce in the October 2019 election.
Even if he has not yet managed to regain a seat as a member of Parliament, Maxime Bernier has succeeded in founding a party whose forward-thinking stances have had a considerable influence on Canadian political debates, and that has become the sixth largest in federal politics.
Party Platform – From CBC
Climate Change
It would abolish all climate change programs. But it would invest in adaptation strategies for floods and forest fires. It would find a buyer for the Trans Mountain pipeline. It would withdraw from the Paris Accord. It would repeal C-48, which regulates vessels that transport crude oil to or from ports or marine installations along B.C.’s north coast and C-69, the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act. It would reassert federal jurisdiction over pipeline construction by invoking section 92(10) of the Constitution if necessary. It would keep Line 5, which runs from Sarnia, Ont. to Michigan and Wisconsin, in operation.
Cost of Living
It would reinstate the fair disability pension for veterans, as previously provided for by the Pension Act. The pension would apply retroactively to 2006 and lump-sum payments received since then would be treated as advance payments. The party would request a line-by-line review of the New Veterans Charter to assess which policies and programs should be kept, in order to help simplify the system. It would abolish new spending programs by the Trudeau government, such as day care, pharmacare and dental care programs. It would eliminate all other programs that duplicate provincial programs or intrude on provincial jurisdictions.
Defence
It would prioritize relations with the U.S. for our defence.
Foreign Policy
It would not get involved in foreign conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, “unless we have a compelling strategic interest in doing so.” It would withdraw from all UN commitments (including Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Compact on Migration and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change) and reduce Canada’s presence in UN institutions. It would phase out development aid and focus Canadian international assistance exclusively on emergency humanitarian action “in cases such as health crises, major conflicts and natural disasters.” It would liberalize trade with as many countries as possible. To ensure “prosperity and security,” the party says it would prioritize relations with the U.S.
Government Spending
It would set up a department of government downsizing. It would eliminate targeted tax measures that are “inefficient and serve no compelling public policy purpose.” It promises to eliminate the deficit by the end of the first mandate, and says it would accomplish this by reducing government support to corporations, including the CBC/Radio-Canada. It would cut foreign development aid, equalization payments and funding for programs that are under provincial or municipal jurisdiction.
Housing
It would stop accepting new permanent residents to Canada until the housing crisis has cooled down. It would privatize or dismantle the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and change the Bank of Canada’s inflation target from two per cent to zero per cent. It says it would work with provinces to curb speculation and money laundering by foreign homebuyers.
Immigration
After halting immigration until the housing crisis subsided, it would bring down immigration targets to 100,000 to 150,000 people annually and lower it further during times of crisis. It would accept fewer refugees, temporary foreign workers and students in favour of economic immigrants. It would withdraw from the UN’s Global Compact for Migration. The party would abolish the reunification program for parents and grandparents. It would eliminate work permits for students, except for academic work on campus. It would increase resources for CSIS, the RCMP and the IRCC so they can determine whether immigrants share “Canadian values and societal norms.” It would change the law to criminalize “birth tourism” and stop granting Canadian citizenship to babies born in Canada to foreign parents.
Infrastructure
It would find a buyer for the Trans Mountain pipeline. It would reassert federal jurisdiction over pipeline construction by invoking section 92(10) of the Constitution, if necessary. It would keep Line 5, which runs from Sarnia, Ont. to Michigan and Wisconsin, in operation.
US Relations
It would “prioritize relations with our main trading and defence partner,” the U.S. At the same time, it would diversify Canada’s trade relations with as many other countries as possible to be less dependent on U.S. markets.
In short, they can be crazy because they’re not a serious party. Nothing to worry about here.