I don't know if this has been covered already anons. If it has then pass it on, if not it is as notable af.
Is Maxime Bernier Canada's Trump?
Maxime Bernier's former chief of staff lauds his 'courage' for quitting the Conservatives
By quitting the Conservatives and vowing to launch his own party, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier proved that he has the "courage that it takes to go outside party lines and stay true to one's convictions," says his former chief of staff.
Bernier made the announcement Thursday, calling the Conservative Party of Canada "too intellectually and morally corrupt to be reformed."
The move came after the MP ruffled feathers in the party by posting a string of tweets denouncing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "extreme multiculturalism and cult of diversity," and personally insulting Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.
So far, no Conservative lawmakers have joined Bernier in his bid to create a new party, but his former chief of staff Deborah Levy says Canadians shouldn't underestimate him.
Levy, who now runs the magazine Premières en Affaires, spoke to As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. Here is part of their conversation.
Beyond the libertarian vote, how much support do you think Maxime Bernier actually has today?
I think support he has comes from the conservative base and maybe other voters who see their voice as being represented from what I see as a void in the public discourse today.
He talks about issues that are being ignored. And also, people who see the courage that it takes to go outside party lines and stay true to one's convictions.
Do you think those people exist in significant enough numbers to give him political support that he would need to move forward?
I can tell you what I see online. I can tell you the comments I see. I can tell you what I see outside conservative circles, people that are now being interested in hearing what he has to say. I think this stance has an opportunity to broaden the audience for those ideas.
So just to be clear, do you support his decision to leave the party?
I admire his courage. I can't say that I support every political line he will take, but I support him as an individual who will break party lines to stay true to his ideas, and that I think is very rare with a political system that we have today.
Moar here:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.4731083/maxime-bernier-s-former-chief-of-staff-lauds-his-courage-for-quitting-the-conservatives-1.4731085