With a federal election expected as early as this fall the leader of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) is already touting his party’s message.
After stops in Vancouver, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Maxime Bernier is bringing what he’s calling his “Mad Max Freedom Tour” to Northern Ontario.
He’ll be in North Bay on Sunday afternoon.
In an exclusive interview with MyWestNipissingNow.com, Bernier says one of his messages is to end the lockdowns.
“We are the only national political party that is against these draconian lockdowns and stay-at-home orders and curfews. I understand right now this summer we have gained some of our freedoms but we know this fall it will come again and we need to end that,” he says.
Bernier says this is the first time in the ‘history of the world’ that lockdowns are being used to fight a virus.
“There are other ways to do that, the most important like some other experts are saying, is we must protect the elders, we must protect the most vulnerable and maybe lock them down, but not the population, not the economy,” he says.
Bernier says he’s also fighting for ‘western civilization values’ and is against Bill C-36 and censoring social media.
“We must be able to say what we want to say on social media. Cancel culture and political correctness, we are against that. I am saying what needs to be said openly with passion and conviction. There’s no taboo subject for us,” he says.
Bernier points to the Criminal Code when it comes to dealing with hate crimes and hate speech.
As he tours the country, Bernier says people have been telling him they are scared about the future of this country with all ’the leftist radical ideology.’
He also says the People’s Party of Canada will be ready for the next election.
“Right now we have approved 200 candidates and in the next couple of weeks, we are in the second phase of the selection of our candidates, but I can tell you before the first of September we will have a full slate of candidates right across the country,” the PPC leader says.
Bernier’s message against lockdowns also ties into his party’s post-pandemic economic recovery plan.
“The Trudeau Government gave a great incentive to the provinces to do these lockdowns by financing their economic loss. We will stop that, we will stop all these programs and we will reopen the economy,” he says. “These lockdowns are an experiment and a failed experiment.”
Bernier says the party has a plan to balance the budget in four years, will cut foreign aid, cut corporate welfare, abolish funding to the CBC, have a smaller government and more.
Sunday’s rally in North Bay goes at 1 pm at Lee Park.