Maxime Bernier
| URL | https://Persagen.com/docs/Maxime_Bernier.html |
| Sources | Persagen.com | Wikipedia | other sources (cited in situ) |
| Source URL | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxime_Bernier |
| Date published | 2021-09-24 |
| Curation date | 2021-09-24 |
| Curator | Dr. Victoria A. Stuart, Ph.D. |
| Modified | |
| Editorial practice | Refer here | Date format: yyyy-mm-dd |
| Summary | Maxime Bernier is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada. |
| Key points | Show |
| Related | |
| Keywords | Show |
| Named entities | Show |
| Ontologies | Show |
Maxime Bernier
Leader of the People's Party of Canada. |
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| Professional/Career Details | ||
| Name | Maxime Bernier | |
| Description | Maxime Bernier is a Canadian politician who is the founder and Leader of the People's Party of Canada. Formerly a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, Bernier was the Member of Parliament for Beauce, Quebec from 2006 to 2019, and served as a Cabinet minister in Stephen Harper's government. | |
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| Leader of | People's Party of Canada | |
| Status | Incumbent | |
| Assumed office | 2018-09-14 | |
| Website | MaximeBernier.ca | |
| Personal Details | ||
| Name | Maxime Bernier | |
| Born | 1963-01-18 | |
| Birthplace | Saint-Georges, Quebec, Canada | |
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| Children | 2 teenage daughters | |
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| Residence | Saint-Georges, Quebec, Canada | |
| Nationality | Canadian | |
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| Political party | People's Party of Canada | |
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| Political position | Right-wing to far-right | |
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Background
Maxime Bernier PC (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, Bernier was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Beauce from 2006 to 2019 and served as a Cabinet minister in Stephen Harper's government.
Prior to entering politics, Maxime Bernier worked in the fields of law, finance and banking. Maxime Bernier was first elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative in the 2006 Canadian federal election in the same riding his father, Gilles Bernier, had represented from 1984 to 1997. Bernier held a number of portfolios in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Cabinet. Maxime Bernier was Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry from 2006 to 2007, before being promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs until he stepped down in 2008 after failing to secure confidential documents. Maxime Bernier continued to sit as a back-bench Member of Parliament (MP) until 2011, when he was appointed as Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism and Agriculture). Following the 2015 Canadian federal election, while the Conservatives were no longer in power, Bernier was re-elected and continued to sit as MP.
Maxime Bernier ran for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership in the 2017 leadership election. After leading eventual winner Andrew Scheer through 12 rounds of voting, he came in second with over 49% of the vote in the 13th round. Fifteen months later, in August 2018, Bernier resigned from the Conservative Party to create his own party, the right-wing People's Party of Canada, saying the party would advocate for "smart populist People's Party, citing disagreements with Andrew Scheer's leadership. Maxime Bernier lost his seat in the 2019 Canadian federal election to Conservative Richard Lehoux, ending all parliamentary representation of the PPC. Bernier later ran in the by-election for York Centre in October 2020, but lost the race to Ya'ara Saks, with 3.56% of the vote. Maxime Bernier lost to Lehoux in Beauce a second time in the 2021 Canadian federal election.
Maxime Bernier has taken economic libertarian positions on issues such as opposing economic libertarian positions on issues such as opposing supply management in the Canadian dairy industry, and government subsidies for arenas. Maxime Bernier is against mass immigration to Canada, supports repealing the Multiculturalism Act, and rejects the scientific consensus on climate change [climate change denial]. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Bernier opposed mandatory vaccinations, public health measures, and attended many anti-lockdown protests; he was arrested for violating public health orders at a gathering in Manitoba.
Early Life and Education
Maxime Bernier was born in Saint-Georges, Quebec, the son of Doris (Rodrigue) and Gilles Bernier, a well known radio host, who represented the riding of Beauce from 1984 to 1997, first as a Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and then as an independent. In a 2010 interview with John Geddes, Bernier said he respects his father as a Mulroney-era politician, but tries not to emulate his style. Bernier has stated that his views were shaped from his upbringing in Beauce to his life experiences. Maxime Bernier is the second oldest child and has two sisters, Brigitte and Caroline, and a brother, Gilles Jr. In his teens, Bernier played football as a member of the Condors, the team of the Séminaire St-Georges, that won the Bol d'Or in 1980 at the Olympic Stadium.
Maxime Bernier obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal, completed his law degree at the University of Ottawa, and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1990, of which he is still a member.
Early Career
For 19 years, Maxime Bernier held positions in law, several financial and banking fields, such as working as a lawyer at McCarthy Tétrault, rising up to become branch manager at the National Bank, the office of the Securities Commission of Québec as Director of Corporate and International Relations, an adviser (handling fiscal reform) from 1996 to 1998 in the office of Bernard Landry - Quebec's finance minister and Deputy Premier of Quebec at the time - and Standard Life of Canada as the Vice-President of Corporate Affairs and Communication. Maxime Bernier also served as Executive Vice-President of the Montreal Economic Institute, a Quebec free-market think tank, where he authored a book on tax reform.
Political Career
In 2005, Maxime Bernier became the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for the riding of Beauce for the 2006 Canadian federal election. Stephen Harper had asked his father to re-enter politics, and the latter advised Harper that his son should run instead of him. Bernier won handily, taking 67% of the popular vote, the largest majority for a Conservative politician outside of Alberta. His ties to the riding and his support for provincial jurisdictions (which earned him an endorsement from former Social Credit Party of Canada party leader Fabien Roy) were factors in his win. Some political pundits believed Bernier's ideas led to the unexpected Conservative breakthrough in Quebec during the election.
Minister of Industry (2006)
Maxime Bernier was one of the higher-profile freshman MPs from Quebec, and as such, on February 6, 2006, was appointed Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and minister responsible for Statistics Canada, and by virtue of being appointed as the Minister of Industry, he also served as the Registrar General. During his time as Industry Minister, Bernier set in motion steps that led to reformation of the telecommunications industry, particularly on local phone service. Professor Richard J. Schultz from McGill University lauded his attempt to deregulate the telecommunications industry, calling him "the best Industry Minister in 30 years, without challenge." James Cowan from Canadian Business, called Bernier's tenure "a golden age" for Canadian business policy.
Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007)
On August 14, 2007, Maxime Bernier was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Peter MacKay, who became the Minister of National Defence. The rumour is that appointment had to do with preventing Bernier from pushing his personal views such as opposing corporate welfare farther as industry minister. During the beginning of his tenure, Bernier's personality and charm received praise among foreign dignitaries.
In May 2008, it was revealed that, one month earlier, Maxime Bernier inadvertently left a confidential briefing book at the home of his girlfriend at the time, Julie Couillard. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper originally defended Bernier, he ultimately accepted his resignation on May 26, 2008, saying "It's only this error. It's a very serious error for any minister. The minister immediately recognized the gravity of that error." Bernier explained that the incident made him rethink his political career and that he would avoid taking government information out of his parliamentary office in future.
Recalling his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Bernier felt unsatisfied due to the Prime Minister's Office controlling the portfolio, making it harder for him to implement his views into Canadian foreign policy.
Backbench (2008-2011)
Six days before the 2008 Canadian federal election, Julie Couillard released a book which was supposed to reveal his confidential opinions such as his personal objection to Canadian involvement in the Iraq War. The English version peaked at No. 6 on La Presse's bestseller list while the French version reached No. 5. However, the book was viewed negatively by some of Maxime Bernier's constituents. Bernier was reelected with 62% of votes, and was made chair for the National Defense Select Committee.
In 2009, Maxime Bernier decided to start a blog and spent the next four years travelling across the country to discuss political issues. Bernier's speeches were criticized by Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Raymond Blanchard, and Tom Mulcair , but praised by Andrew Coyne, Warren Kinsella, and André Pratte.
In September 2010, after Maxime Bernier's Quebec colleagues pushed for the federal government to invest $175 million in the Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Bernier expressed opposition to the proposed project and a feasibility study by Ernst & Young, stating that the proposal made little financial sense. The government later decided against the investment. When recalling about that decision, he revealed that his colleagues were furious at him because they wanted to use the investment to "Buy votes."
It had been rumoured that Conservative Party of Canada insiders wanted Bernier to take over as leader of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) party if Stephen Harper's preferred choice, Mario Dumont, became Quebec lieutenant, and that Bernier was considering a leadership run. In 2009, there was a movement to draft Bernier for the leadership of the ADQ. Bernier called the attention flattering, but declined to run.
Minister of State (2011-2015)
On May 18, 2011, Maxime Bernier was appointed as Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism and Agriculture), a junior ministerial post. Bernier did not enjoy being bound by the principle of cabinet solidarity, and disliked being named to a minor department, but accepted the role out of deference to his colleagues and to regain credibility via a return to the cabinet. Bernier later said he also accepted the position because he had felt he did not accomplish enough in his career and expressed a desire to end the budget deficit.
His responsibilities were expanded with his appointment on July 15, 2013, as Minister of State (Small Business, Tourism, and Agriculture). During this time, he led the Red Tape Reduction Commission, which created a rule that for every regulation added another one has to be cut.
In Opposition (2015-2019)
On November 20, 2015, Maxime Bernier was appointed by interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose as Critic for Economic Development and Innovation. Maxime Bernier resigned on April 7, 2016 to run in the Conservative Party of Canada's leadership election.
In March 2016, Maxime Bernier introduced a motion to require Bombardier executives to testify to the Industry Committee to explain the reasoning for the federal government to bail them out. Bernier argued that Bombardier should restructure itself rather than seek public funds. Justin Trudeau's Liberal government blocked Bernier's motion.
Campaign for the Conservative Leadership
At a conservative conference in March 2016, Maxime Bernier said that China has "less government and more freedom" than Canada; a video of the speech was later circulated by the Broadbent Institute's Press Progress. Bernier said that he was referring to economic freedom, not political freedom, and said that his remarks should not be construed to suggest that he supported Chinese dictatorship.
On April 7, 2016, Maxime Bernier filed his nomination to be a candidate in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, saying that he was running to promote his views and ideas on four principles: freedom, responsibility, fairness, and respect.
In May 2016, Maxime Bernier broke from his Conservative colleagues on economic libertarian positions on issues such as opposing supply management, the Canadian agricultural system in which a form of insurance is granted to farmers. Maxime Bernier said that there was no way to reconcile the Canadian system with his "free-market principles."
After the Conservative Party of Canada decided to remove the traditional definition of marriage from their constitution, Bernier was one of few leadership contenders to march in the Toronto Pride Parade.
Maxime Bernier achieved unexpectedly high levels of support, finishing a close second in the 13th and final round of voting on May 27, 2017, taking 49.05% of the vote to Andrew Scheer's 50.95%. A few days after the results, Michael Chong, another leadership candidate, argued that both his and Bernier's campaigns represented "real change, significant change" to the party but felt they wanted the status quo.
Reactions From Pundits
Nathan Giede of the Prince George Citizen wrote that Bernier was "the living reincarnation of all Laurier's good ideas and Dief the Chief's pan-Canadian optimism." In the Times Colonist, Bernier stated, "They can call me a fiscal Conservative, they can call me a conservative who believes in freedom, they can call me reasonable libertarian, call me anything you want - call me Max, call me Maxime, call me 'Mad Max'." Occasionally, he displayed a sense of humor which helped him gain voters' attention. William Watson argued in the National Post that although some of Bernier's policies were reflective of the role "rugged individualism" played in Canada's past, and may have played a role in his loss, they could also affect Canada's future. Stanley Hartt, former Chief of Staff to Brian Mulroney, found Andrew Scheer's victory not "stirring" and suggested that Scheer should have taken ideas from Bernier's economic platform, which Hartt praised.
Post-Leadership Campaign
On August 31, 2017, Maxime Bernier was reappointed critic for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada by Andrew Scheer.
After it was revealed that the Conservative campaign team in the 2015 Canadian federal election knew about sexual assault allegations against former Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Rick Dykstra, on January 31, 2018, Maxime Bernier publicly demanded answers as he was heading towards a caucus meeting into the handling of the nomination as did Conservative MP Brad Trost, who tweeted in favor of Bernier statement. After the meetings, Andrew Scheer reversed his previous decision. and called for a third-party investigation.
Maxime Bernier intended to publish a book, Doing Politics Differently: My Vision for Canada. In April 2018 he pre-released a chapter on his publisher's website explaining why he made the abolition of Canada's economic libertarian positions on issues such as opposing supply management an issue during the leadership campaign. The chapter referred to Quebec's dairy farmer lobby as "fake Conservatives" because they opposed his abolition of the supply management policy and supported Andrew Scheer's candidacy. However, in deference to his Conservative colleagues who saw the chapter as an attack on the Scheer, Bernier agreed to postpone publication of the book indefinitely for the sake of party unity, while also saying that the book was not about his leadership campaign, but about important ideas. Maxime Bernier later told the Toronto Star in an email that he defended his comments and that the book would someday be published.
On June 12, 2018, Andrew Scheer dismissed Maxime Bernier from the Official Opposition shadow cabinet, saying that Bernier had violated his pledge to delay publication of the book by posting the chapter on his website on June 5, after it had been removed by from the publisher's website. Bernier denied that he broke the pledge, saying that the published excerpts had previously been publicly released on his publisher's website. During an At Issue panel after Bernier's demotion, Chantal Hebert was critical of Bernier decision to publish the chapter, Coyne found Bernier to be a victim of "a political setup" and Paul Wells thought Scheer was being "paranoid." On June 15, Bernier stated in an interview that he believed his stance on economic libertarian positions on issues such as opposing supply management was the real reason behind his dismissal, not his decision to post the chapter.
In a series of Twitter posts in August 2018, Maxime Bernier garnered attention for criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments about "diversity is our strength." Maxime Bernier later tweeted that naming a park in Winnipeg after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was an example of "extreme multiculturalism." The tweets were broadly seen as divisive and inflammatory with calls for him to be reprimanded or removed from caucus such as John Ivison; However, Conservative leader Andrew Andrew ScheerMathieu Bock-Côté, Lise Ravary, and Neil Macdonald defended his comments by writing op-eds to counter arguing critics. While, Tom Walkom, Deborah Levy and Andre Valiquette found his critique common within mainstream Quebec. In his resignation speech, Bernier, had an issues with Scheer's response, and later clarified that he wanted to have a conversation about "ethnic division." When asked about his tweets by Question Period, Bernier responded by stating "Instead of always promoting the diversity in our country, why not promote what unites us. That's the most important." Commentator Colby Cosh later wrote that Bernier had previously praised ethnic diversity, while also "objecting to its elevation to cult status."
Formation of People's Party of Canada
On August 23, 2018, Maxime Bernier announced that he was leaving the Conservative Party of Canada with the intention of founding a new political party. Maxime Bernier held a press conference at which he declared that the Conservative Party was "too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed," and was afraid to address important issues or articulate a coherent philosophy.
Maxime Bernier's departure was criticized by former Conservative Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Brian Mulroney. Harper suggested that Bernier was a sore loser, while Mulroney said that Bernier's creation of a new party would split the vote and make it more likely that Justin Trudeau's Liberals would win the 2019 Canadian federal election. Conversely, Bernier's decision was praised as courageous by columnist Christie Blatchford. In a National Post op-ed, Bernier stated that his establishment of a new party aimed to reverse what he called a "public choice dynamic" in Canadian politics, that led to vote-buying and "pandering" by the main political parties.
On 2018-09-14, Maxime Bernier announced the creation of the People's Party of Canada, saying the party would advocate for "smart populism," which Bernier defined as policies based on principles of freedom, responsibility, fairness, and respect. Bernier positioned the People's Party to the right of the Conservative Party of Canada. The People's Party of Canada has been variously described as conservative, libertarian, right-wing populist, classical liberal, far-right, and alt-right. In December 2018, some of its founding signatories were shown to have ties to American white nationalist and anti-immigrant groups. The party later told Le Devoir that they did not have enough resources to vet them at the beginning of the PPC's formation.
2019 Federal Election
Campaigning in advance of the 2019 Canadian federal election, Maxime Bernier and his chief strategist, Martin Masse, aligned the People's Party with the anti-immigrant European New Right. Bernier called for steep cuts to immigration to Canada and criticized multiculturalism, his focus on issues like cutting immigration marking a change in his public profile that contrasted with his earlier focus (while in the Conservative Party of Canada) on free-market, economic libertarian stances such as telecom monopolies and deregulation. Bernier also proposed reductions in federal income tax, called for a reduction of the federal role in healthcare, and the replacement of the Canada Health Transfer, and proposed the replacement of the Indian Act. Maxime Bernier was the only leader of a party represented in the House of Commons to reject the scientific consensus on climate change [climate change denial]. Maxime Bernier said he would do "nothing" to deal with climate change, and that Canada should withdraw from the Paris Agreement on carbon emissions.
On September 2, 2019, Maxime Bernier posted a series of tweets in which he called Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg "clearly mentally unstable. Not only autistic, but obsessive-compulsive, eating disorder, depression and lethargy and she lives in a constant state of fear." Bernier also suggested that Thunberg's activism is spreading irrational fears about the environment to get everyone else "to feel the same." On September 4, after receiving widespread backlash for his comments on Thunberg, Bernier said that "My goal was absolutely not to denigrate her or whoever deals with these conditions" and that "On the contrary, she is a brave young woman who has been able to overcome her problems and deserves our admiration for that." Bernier also claimed that "influential groups and the media" have chosen to make her a spokesperson for "climate alarmism." and that "These groups use this young woman as a pawn and as a shield to prevent any criticism of the message. That's the real scandal."
In the election in October 2019, Maxime Bernier was challenged for his seat in Beauce by Conservative candidate Richard Lehoux, a fourth-generation dairy farmer and past president of the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités. Maxime Bernier lost over 20 percent of his vote from 2015, finishing with 28.3% to Lehoux's 38.6%, with the Bloc Québecois and Liberals finishing a distant third and fourth, respectively. Nationally, Bernier was the only PPC candidate to come within sight of being elected; no other candidate won more than six percent of the vote, and the party as a whole won only 1.6% of the popular vote.
Since December 2019
Upon the December 2019 resignation of Andrew Scheer from Conservative Party of Canada leadership, Maxime Bernier stated he would not be interested in returning to the Conservative Party. In January 2020 he announced an upcoming TV series with the English title The Max Bernier Show and French title Les nouvelles de Maxime. In February, he launched a lawsuit alleging defamation against Warren Kinsella for running an astroturfing campaign against him on behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Maxime Bernier announced his intention to run in a by-election when seats became vacant from the resignations of Bill Morneau and Michael Levitt over the summer of 2020. Maxime Bernier confirmed his candidacy for Levitt's former Toronto riding of York Centre shortly after the date of the October 26, 2020 by-election was announced. Maxime Bernier finished fourth with 642 votes (3.56%).
COVID-19 Pandemic and 2021 Election
Maxime Bernier is strongly critical of public health measures undertaken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, having travelled to anti-lockdown protests throughout the country in 2021. On 2021-04-17, Bernier spoke in front of several hundred people in Barrie, Ontario; his plan to attend was criticized by mayor Jeff Lehman as "shameful." Maxime Bernier and MPP Randy Hillier were both ticketed for their participation in a rally in Peterborough on 2021-04-24 for violating the Reopening Ontario Act. The day before, they had been told not to attend by mayor Dianne Therrien, who tweeted "the travelling clown convention isn't welcome here."
Maxime Bernier attended a protest in Montreal on 2021-05-02. The crowd was large enough that it closed the mass vaccination clinic at the Olympic Stadium, where the protest began. Maxime Bernier spoke along with Chris Sky in Regina, Saskatchewan on 2021-05-08, and received a $2800 ticket. In Waterloo, Ontario, he and several other PPC candidates from neighbouring regions spoke at a rally on 2021-06-06. Waterloo's mayor, Dave Jaworsky, described their attendance as a political campaign rally that was "beyond shocking" during a pandemic. Bernier was arrested and fined by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on 2021-06-11 in St-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba after attending a rally against COVID-19 restrictions, which was itself in violation of health restrictions. Maxime Bernier paid $1000 bail, cancelled the remainder of his tour in Manitoba, and returned to Montreal the next day [2021-06-12].
On 2021-08-01, Maxime Bernier said in a video posted on Twitter that he would not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Maxime Bernier ran in his old riding of Beauce for the 2021 Canadian federal election and again lost to Richard Lehoux.
Personal Life
Maxime Bernier is the father of two teenage daughters. Since 2010, he has been in a relationship with Catherine Letarte, a National Ballet School-trained ballerina, who worked for a women's shelter and currently runs a community centre for adults living with mental health issues. Bernier and Letarte married in the summer of 2019. Bernier is fond of quoting James M. Buchanan, Friedrich Hayek, and Henry Hazlitt - and has been known as "Mad Max," the "Bloc-buster," or the "Albertan from Quebec" by his Ottawa colleagues.
In September 2013, Maxime Bernier trained for and ran an ultramarathon across his riding to raise funds for a local food bank. In 2014, Bernier participated in the Rodeo de Cochons after being challenged by a local mayor.
Works
Bernier, Maxime (March 2003). Pour un taux d'imposition unique. VARIA. ISBN 9782922245882.
Doing Well and Doing Better: Health Services Provided to Canadian Forces Personnel with an Emphasis on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder : Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence.
Canada's Arctic Sovereignty: Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence.
Doing Politics Differently: My Vision for Canada - Chapter 5 "Live or die with supply management."
Electoral History
Project Cactus [Smear Campaign against Maxime Bernier]
Comment: Project Cactus was a politically motivated, Conservative Party of Canada sponsored smear campaign targeting People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier. The project was contracted to Warren Kinsella's Daisy Consulting Group [Daisy Group; local copy | Warren Kinsella biography], which developed and ran Project Cactus.
Note that the URL for Daisy Group - http://daisygroup.ca/ - uses the unsecure "http://...", not the secure "https://..." (which throws the warning shown in the screenshot, below) - likely so that the owner can surveil visitors to the website.
Insecure "https://daisygroup.ca/" URL.
Lisa Kinsella and Warren Kinsella lead Daisy Consulting Group [Daisy Group; local copy], a Toronto-based consulting firm. Documents shown to CBC News reveal Daisy Group produced a project [Project Cactus] to "seek and destroy" Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada for a client that a source tells CBC News is the Conservative Party of Canada.
[Source]
[PressProgress.ca, 2021-11-11] Maxime Bernier Sued Someone For Calling Him 'Racist'. The Judge Just Tossed His Case Out of Court. An Ontario Superior Court judge has dismissed Maxime Bernier's lawsuit against Warren Kinsella under anti-SLAPP legislation.
Maxime Bernier, leader of the far-right People's Party of Canada, has lost a lawsuit he launched against someone for calling him a "racist" after a judge concluded the statements were defensible and protected as free speech.
In a decision Wednesday [2021-11-10 | local copy], Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed Bernier's $575,000 lawsuit against political operative Warren Kinsella using a mechanism created to "weed out litigation of doubtful merit which unduly discourages and seeks to restrict free and open expression on matters of public interest."
"Can Maxime Bernier sue Warren Kinsella for using insulting and degrading language to brand him as a racist, misogynist and anti-Semite in the run up to the 2019 federal election?" asked Justice Calum MacLeod in the anti-SLAPP decision [SLAPP; strategic lawsuit against public participation]. "Statements attacking a person's reputation can ordinarily be the subject of a defamation action, but that is not always the case if the impugned language concerns a matter of public interest."
The lawsuit relates to "Project Cactus," paid research Warren Kinsella's Daisy Group [see also] consulting firm conducted on behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada to surface examples of racism and xenophobia within Bernier's far-right party.
In a Statement of Claim filed 2020-02-03 [local copy], Maxime Bernier alleged he was the victim of a "campaign of sustained defamation" that sought to "disparage Maxime in the minds of right-thinking people." "Maxime's reputation has been seriously damaged, he has been held up to public scandal, ridicule and contempt, and he has suffered distress and embarrassment," Bernier's legal team argued. "Maxime's reputation is extremely important to him."
Warren Kinsella's Statement of Defence [2020-09-15; local copy] noted "any lowering of Mr. Bernier's reputation and any damages suffered by him result from the extreme, intolerant and obstinate views he holds and has expressed publicly," pointing to tweets in which Bernier publicly railed against "extreme multiculturalism."
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[theGlobeAndMail.com, 2021-06-17] Secret 'Project Cactus' campaign targeting Maxime Bernier was billed to Conservative Party HQ, invoice shows.
The costs of a secret political war room targeting Maxime Bernier and his People's Party of Canada were invoiced to the Conservative Party of Canada (Conservative Party)'s headquarters, newly obtained documents show.
The The Globe and Mail first reported during the October 2019 Canadian federal election campaign that the Conservative Party hired the Daisy Group consulting firm, led by former Liberal Party of Canada adviser Warren Kinsella, to run a "seek and destroy" effort earlier that year called Project Cactus. The plan focused on discrediting Maxime Bernier and keeping him out of the national leaders' debates.
The Conservative Party and Warren Kinsella have previously declined to confirm or deny that they worked together.
This week [2021-06], The Globe and Mail obtained an image of an invoice from Daisy Strategy Group Ltd. billed and addressed to "John Walsh, Conservative Party of Canada." The address is the same address as the Conservative Party of Canada's Ottawa headquarters on Albert Street. John Walsh served as the chair of the Conservative Party's 2019 election campaign. The invoice states: "Project Cactus Monthly retainer for May, 2019." The amount billed is $20,000 plus HST [HST: harmonized sales tax].
A second document obtained by The Globe and Mail this week is a seven-page contract describing the campaign to create and run a "confidential and high-profile war room" focused on Maxime Bernier. The document states that people working with Daisy Group "will never know who is "behind the curtain" and will have no knowledge of this concerted campaign."The bottom of the document lists John Walsh and Warren Kinsella. There is a signature above John Walsh's name, but the section for Warren Kinsella's signature is blank and unsigned. The Conservative Party is not mentioned in the contract document.
Elsewhere in the document, it says "the total amount of this contract will be $120,000 plus HST." It states that this would include four initial monthly payments of $20,000 plus HST. It also states that "subcontractors will be billed at their professional rate of $120/hour for design and video work."
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[CBC.ca, 2019-10-19] Kinsella consulting firm worked to 'seek and destroy' Bernier's PPC party, documents say. Source tells CBC News that Daisy Group was acting for Conservative Party of Canada.
Warren KinsellaDaisy Group consulting firm was behind a social media campaign to put the People's Party of Canada (PPC) on the defensive and keep leader Maxime Bernier out of the federal leaders' debates, according to documents provided to CBC News.
The documents outline the work done by several employees of Daisy on behalf of an unnamed client. A source with knowledge of the project told CBC News that client was the Conservative Party of Canada. The plan was first reported Friday night [2019-10-18] by The Globe and Mail .
According to a source with knowledge of the project, who spoke to CBC News on condition they not be named, the objective of the plan, dubbed "Project Cactus," was to make the Conservative Party of Canada look more attractive to voters by highlighting People's Party of Canada candidates' and supporters' xenophobic statements on social media. The source added that the Daisy Group employed four full-time staffers on Project Cactus at one time.
Warren Kinsella is a lawyer, anti-racism activist and former Liberal Party of Canada strategist who has been a vocal critic of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Repeatedly asked to confirm or explain his party's involvement during a campaign event in Toronto on Saturday [2019-10-19], Conservative Party of Canada leader Andrew Scheer refused to answer. "As a rule, we never make comments on vendors that we may or may not have engaged with," he said repeatedly.
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Additional Reading
[CBC.ca, 2021-10-10] Still unvaccinated, Maxime Bernier insists PPC doesn't need a pandemic to grow. The PPC received 5 per cent of the popular vote.
[Vice.com, 2021-09-21] People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier Has Twitter Frozen After Targeting Journalists. After Maxime Bernier sent out the contact info of journalists and told his followers to "play dirty," the information was reposted by white nationalists and the journalists were set upon by 4chan trolls.
[CBC.ca, 2021-09-23] Twitter restricted Bernier's account for 12 hours after he urged followers to 'play dirty' with journalists. CTV reporter received messages saying she should be sexually assaulted and killed for questioning Bernier. Twitter restricted People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier's account, preventing him from posting any new messages for 12 hours after he used the platform to encourage his supporters to "play dirty" with journalists covering his campaign. The offending tweets singled out three reporters, calling them "idiots" and describing their efforts to question him as "disgusting smear jobs." Bernier tweeted out their email addresses and encouraged his followers to "play dirty." CTV journalist Christy Somos responded to the attacks online. In a tweet describing "what your inbox looks like after Bernier tweets about you," Somos posted a screenshot of a threatening email she was sent. In that email, someone who appears to be a PPC supporter says that they hope Somos is sexually assaulted and murdered and encourages her to kill herself. ...
[CTVNews.ca, 2021-09-23] Twitter axes Bernier post sharing reporters' emails, urging followers to 'play dirty'.
[Straight.com, 2021-09-05] Ex-media magnate Conrad Black describes Maxime Bernier as "probably the most impressive of the party leaders". Bernier's supporters are mostly disaffected Conservatives, so this might not be good news for Erin O'Toole.
[Vice.com, 2021-08-30] Canada's Far-Right Party Gaining Steam By Courting the Anti-Lockdown Movement. While it's unlikely Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada will win seat, their polling numbers are up - even as anti-mask leaders call them opportunists. ... Bernier is clearly hoping to ride the momentum of the anti-lockdown movement to some semblance of political power. The arrest also got him his most publicity in years;he was invited onto massive U.S. right-wing talk shows including Tucker Carlson Tonight, to chat about his plight and the "tyranny" Canadians were suffering through. It's a subject he's still focused on. During a campaign launch speech on August 15, Bernier made sure to quickly pander to the crowd. ... Bernier, left the Conservative Party of Canada in 2018, after losing a leadership race by the narrowest of margins and being the centre of a few controversies. Following his departure, he formed the People's Party of Canada and attempted to harness the People's Party of Canada, saying the party would advocate for "smart populist sentiment on the right. His gambit failed miserably, and Bernier has floundered in a far-right fringe political no man's land where he's seen as merely a nuisance or a joke ever since. In the spring he turned to the anti-lockdown movement - possibly seeing the size of the crowds at its protests. ... In response to a request for comment, PPC spokesman Martin Masse told VICE World News, "I don't have time to waste helping you write more shit about us." The PPC has a full platform with multiple talking points typical to a right-wing party, like reducing immigration and creating a smaller government. However, if you look at the PPC candidates, they are all vocally and, in some cases almost solely, focused on vaccine passports (they're against), vaccines (they're anti), lockdowns, and, of course, Justin Trudeau being in the pocket of the globalists. They know the hits with their audience and play them on repeat. ...
[CBC.ca, 2021-08-21] People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier will not be in federal election debates. Bernier not surprised, blames 'establishment cartel' for exclusion.
[theStar.com, 2021-08-21] Maxime Bernier, western separatist party both denied participation in official federal debates.
[CBC.ca, 2021-08-04] People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier says he won't get a COVID-19 vaccine. Bernier has previously been arrested for violating public health measures.
[2020-05-27] Toronto Star's parent company was just bought out -- buyers are donors to Maxime Bernier and the Conservative Party.
[2020-05-26] Torstar agrees to $52M sale to NordStar Capital. Company owns Toronto Star and 70 other publications
[2019-05-10] Montreal Economic Institute: Thank Maxime Bernier for the Highest Wireless Bills Virtually Anywhere. Discusses: Montreal Economic Institute | Atlas Network | Koch Brothers
[2018-09-23] Corporate welfare, the Koch brothers and being "authentic:" Maxime Bernier in conversation. "Ron Paul was an authentic politician because he said what he believed. Same thing for me." Discusses: Montreal Economic Institute | Atlas Network | Koch Brothers | Tea Party | ...
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