The time for a “common sense revolution” starts now, said People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Leader Maxine Bernier, when he announced Friday he’ll run in Manitoba’s Portage-Lisgar by-election..“This by-election is an incredible opportunity for us to elect our first ever PPC Member of Parliament,” said Bernier at a press conference in Portage la Prairie..Bernier said it will be a “two-horse” race between him and Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) opponent Brenden Leslie..The seat was previously held since 2008 by Candice Bergen, CPC’s interim leader in 2022, who stepped down in February..Bernier urged constituents to join the political revolution and compared the PPC to the old Reform Party..“The PPC will pick up the torch from the Reform Party, and it starts right here in Portage-Lisgar. We will learn from the mistakes of the Reform Party," he said.."We will never compromise our values. We won’t merge with a corrupt party. We will fight until we win and restore sanity in this country.”.Bernier cited inflation “eating away at our standard of living,” skyrocketing government and household debt, and a “hopelessly broken” health care system..“Today, our country is at its lowest point in living memory ... Canada has changed dramatically and for the worse.”.“But even worse than the state of our economy is the state of our culture. We are living in highly immoral times. Everywhere you look, you see examples of moral and cultural degeneracy.”.“We are living in a completely different society, one overtaken by evil.”.His campaign theme is “strong families.”.“Radical cultural Marxists seized control of our educational system, the mainstream media, and governments. They push a program of anti-life, anti-family, and anti-Canadian values.”.“Gender ideology and the trans movement are promoting confusion and the mutilation of children.”.“It is useless to debate with these extremists. There is no common ground. They seek only one objective — to destroy Canadian society as we know it and upend the traditional structures of life which have underpinned our civilization. Their insanity is undermining our traditions, our history, and our nation.”.The “woke cult aims to establish a “twisted and profoundly sick vision of the future,” he said..Bernier claimed “not a single person” in the House of Commons is fighting this..“We are losing our society because few people are fighting for it. The elites are totally on board with this radical transformation of our society. And those who reject it are silenced and smeared as intolerant, racist and transphobic.”.He accused the Conservative Party of Canada of “giving up.”.“Whether it's gender ideology, mass immigration, climate hysteria, the cult of diversity, or abortion, the CPC has refused to fight the necessary cultural battles. They are too scared of negative coverage from the mainstream media and being called bigots. They have sat on their hands as the radical left has taken over our society.”.“I am ready to fight. The PPC is ready to fight. That is why I am proud to announce I am putting my name forward in the upcoming by-election to be your representative, you the people of Portage-Lisgar, in the House of Commons. Because families deserve a strong voice.”.“One more or less CPC MP will not make a difference. But one PPC Member of Parliament will offer more opposition against the radical left than the entire so-called Conservative party.”.The PPC came under fire for splitting the vote allowing NDP, Liberal, or Bloc candidates to slide in to a win..In 2021, the PPC earned 5.1% of the vote. In 21 ridings the size of the PPC vote was higher than the number of votes Conservative candidates lost by..“Their tired argument that we split the vote makes no sense. The PPC and the CPC have very different policies and principles. It’s not us who are splitting the conservative vote; on the contrary, it’s the Conservatives who keep moving to the left and are splitting the Liberal vote, Bernier said..“This split the vote argument is even less valid in the current situation. No matter the result of this by-election, the CPC will not form the government. We will still be stuck with Justin Trudeau. This is not an opportunity to get Trudeau out, but it is an opportunity to get a new voice in.”.Bernier said Portage-Lisgar reminds him of his old Beauce, Que. riding..Bernier ran and lost in Beauce in 2019 and 2021 after he quit the Conservative Party in 2018 — after losing the leadership contest to Andrew Scheer — and formed the PPC..Bernier held several positions in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s government..The riding has been held by Conservatives since it was created in 1997..In 2021, the PPC won 22% of the vote..His opponent, Brendan Leslie, served as Bergen’s campaign manager..“If Maxime Bernier does decide to leave his home province of Quebec in an attempt to boost his profile and raise money for his party, I think it will only further prove to the residents of Portage-Lisgar, and all Canadians, that Mr. Bernier is an opportunist who will go anywhere and say anything he thinks will get him the most attention,” said Leslie in written statement to the Western Standard..“I’m going to focus on being the best representative for the community I grew up in and the people I’ve known my whole life.”. Brenden LeslieBrenden Leslie .“No matter who else runs in this by-election, I will be running to join Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative team in making Canada the freest country on earth and to give people back control of their lives.".“I will protect our rural way of life. From axing the Liberal carbon tax, to repealing Trudeau’s gun bans, to defending our farmers and small business owners, I will fight for the people of Portage-Lisgar every step of the way.”.Trudeau must call a by-election by August 27 to be held by October 17..Bernie, who strongly opposed COVID-19 mandates, was arrested Manitoba in 2021 and charged with breaching public-health orders..He is scheduled to appear in Winnipeg court on May 16.
