Maxime Bernier decries 'woke ideology' at campaign stop in Dartmouth
Social Sharing
People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier made a campaign stop Monday in Dartmouth, N.S., where he condemned "woke ideology" and said Canada is on the precipice of going "down the drain."
The former Conservative cabinet minister held a news conference on the Dartmouth waterfront on Day 9 of the federal election campaign. He highlighted one of the pillars of the PPC platform: ending what he calls " woke" policies.
Specifically, he said he would end policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion in the military.
"[Justin] Trudeau did everything he could to destroy our proud Canadian Forces by imposing his insane woke ideology on the military," said Bernier.
He criticized vaccination requirements that resulted in nearly 300 service members being released, and "diversity hiring quotas."
The Canadian military and Department of National Defence have, according to the military ombudsman, adopted many initiatives over the last two decades to address long-standing barriers to the recruitment and retention of women, visible minorities and Indigenous people.
Yet the military is still largely made up of white males, and the ombudsman said in 2022 there has been little progress in increasing diversity.
Bernier was flanked by two PPC candidates who are running in the Halifax area. The party has nominated candidates in 10 of 11 Nova Scotia ridings.
The leader said his party will have a full slate in time for the April 28 election.
This will be Bernier's third general election running as a PPC candidate in Beauce, the Quebec riding he used to represent as a Conservative MP. Bernier split from the Conservatives after he lost the 2018 leadership race to Andrew Scheer.
As of Monday, CBC's poll tracker has the PPC in a distant sixth place with about two per cent of the projected vote share.
Bernier's central campaign promises are pausing immigration, ending "woke" policies, boosting the economy by cutting spending and implementing policies related to national security.
He said Monday that if the PPC platform isn't enacted in the coming months, Canada is heading "down the drain."
"We are so different than the Liberals and the Conservatives on the most important issues for the future of this country. If you believe in this country, if you want to have a prosperous country, you need to support our candidates here in Nova Scotia and all across the country," he said.
Bernier has been accused of courting far-right, conspiratorial racists, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's podcast as recently as March 22.
The PPC has denied that people with " extreme views" are welcome in the party.
It received five per cent of the national vote during the 2021 federal election and has never won a seat.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Canada Standard
14 minutes ago
- Canada Standard
26/11 Terror Attack: Delhi Court grants Tahawwur Rana a one-time phone call, seeks health report from Tihar
New Delhi [India], June 9 (ANI): The Delhi's Patiala House Court on Monday granted 26/11 Mumbai Terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana permission to make a single phone call to his family for the time being. The call will be strictly conducted in accordance with jail regulations and under the supervision of a senior official from the Tihar jail authorities, said the Court. The Additional Sessions Judge (NIA) Chander Jit Singh on Monday also sought a detail status report on Rana's health issues, which must be submitted within 10 days. In its response to the jail authorities, the NIA had approved permission for this one-time phone call. Furthermore, the court has also sought a detailed report from the jail authorities, clarifying their stance on whether Rana should be allowed regular phone calls in the future, as per the Jail Manual. On Friday, the court extended Rana's judicial custody, scheduling his next appearance for July 9. Due to security concerns, he was presented via virtual mode. On the last date of hearing, Rana personally addressed the court, requesting a hearing aid for an ear-related medical issue. Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) collected voice and handwriting samples from Rana, who was extradited from the United States earlier this month. His legal aid counsel, Advocate Piyush Sachdev, confirmed that he fully complied with the court directive. The NIA had previously informed the court that Rana was confronted with substantial evidence related to the 26/11 attacks. The agency argued for further custody, citing his evasive behaviour during questioning and lack of cooperation. Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan and Special Public Prosecutor Narender Mann represented the NIA in the proceedings, while Advocate Piyush Sachdeva defended Rana. A 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin, Rana, was extradited recently in connection with his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The devastating attack, orchestrated by Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed over 170 lives and left hundreds injured. (ANI)
39 minutes ago
As new U.S. travel ban arrives, some Canadian dual nationals are worried
Christian Kodia is accustomed to visiting the United States on a weekly basis, but with a new travel ban coming into effect on Monday, he's not sure if that will continue. Kodia is a dual national with citizenship from both Canada and the Republic of Congo, one of 12 states whose citizens U.S. President Donald Trump has now banned from entering that country. I travel to the United States of America, I would say, every weekend. I go to visit my family, I go for business, I go for friends, said Kodia, president of the Congolese-Brazzaville Community of Ottawa-Gatineau. Even though Kodia has a Canadian passport, he's unsure of what kind of welcome to expect from U.S. customs. It's going to be difficult, he told Radio-Canada, predicting that the ban would have a huge, negative impact for many people. Citing national security, Trump said Thursday (new window) his administration would block entry for citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump also announced restrictions to limit the entry of nationals of seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. In the case of the Republic of Congo, Trump cited high rates of overstaying among citizens visiting the United States: 29.6 per cent of those on temporary business or tourism visas, and 35 per cent of students and exchange visitors. Darlène Lozis, an organizer with the Haitian community in Gatineau, Que., worries that with much of her homeland controlled by gangs, Haiti's government won't be able to push back against the U.S. travel ban. (Boris Proulx/Radio-Canada) Photo: (Boris Proulx/Radio-Canada) For other countries he cited links to terrorism, failure to accept deportees or a lack of central authority as justification for barring their citizens. If we had a government, a strong one, one that we elected, they [would] be able to deal with [Trump], said Darlène Lozis, a Haitian community organizer in Gatineau, Que. Lozis said with much of her home country controlled by armed gangs, she doesn't think Haiti's government will be able to advocate for the rights of its citizens. Whatever we do won't change anything. That man is a fool, she said, referring to Trump. He will continue doing and saying whatever he wants. Entering 'the lion's den' Dual nationals like Kodia are now trying to establish whether they can still legally enter with their Canadian passports. But Ottawa immigration lawyer Betsy Kane suggests that given the potential risks, it's not even about what's legal. Kane said she's asking her business clients whether it's worth risking the well-being of their staff by sending them to the United States, especially if they are dual nationals from one of the banned countries. It's about putting yourself in the lion's den, said Kane, stressing that she's not a U.S. immigration specialist. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have wide discretion whether to admit travellers to the United States — even if they have a valid visa. They also have the power to detain people for questioning and to search their electronic devices. In April, Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory (new window) for the United States, warning Canadians to expect scrutiny, which could include those devices. It also warned that Canadians denied entry could be detained while awaiting deportation. In an interview with the Canadian Press on Friday (new window) , U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said if a Canadian faced device searches, or detainment at the border, it was an isolated event and not a pattern. Campbell MacDiarmid (new window) · CBC News
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Canada plans huge boost in defence spending to hit NATO target by year's end, Carney says
OTTAWA — The federal government pledged Monday to aggressively crank up Canada's defence spending to hit the country's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) before the end of year — a commitment that will cost billions of dollars to reach the target five years faster than Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during this spring's federal election campaign. Declaring Canada faces a 'darker, more competitive world,' Carney made the new promise in a speech at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs. Painting a picture of increasing dangers and threats to Canadian security, Carney argued the country must move quickly to bolster its military, which he said has fallen behind with aging equipment as Canada became too reliant on the United States.
