Maxime Bernier has bolted the Conservative Party and vowed to create a new party, presumably one that is further to the right. Bernier stunned MPs Thursday by skipping a caucus meeting in Halifax which was about to scold him for attacking Trudeau “diversity” and instead held a news conference to denounce Tory leader Scheer. He called Scheer and other Conservative members “intellectually and morally corrupt.” “I am no longer a Conservative,” he declared after reading an attack on his party and its leader, Andrew Scheer — the Saskatchewan MP who narrowly edged Bernier out of the leadership job last year in a loss some have suggested he never got over. “I am now convinced that what we will get if Andrew Scheer becomes prime minister is just a more moderate version of the disastrous Trudeau government,” he said. Scheer emerged in Halifax to fire back. Bernier “is more interested in advancing his personal profile than advancing Conservative principles,” Scheer said. “He has decided that he is more important than his Conservative colleagues and indeed the Conservative party. He has traded an opportunity to influence policy in government for his own personal ambition.” Bernier said he plans to contact Elections Canada immediately about the path towards creating a new party and will spend the next several weeks travelling the country to meet with people interested in joining his cause. Stay tuned.
