Bernier spurns apology

TORY MP SAYS NO COMMON GROUND TO BE FOUND WITH LIBERALS ON IDENTITY POLITICS

Conservative MP Maxime Bernier is rejecting a meeting request from Liberal counterpart Celina CaesarChavannes after the pair exchanged barbs on Twitter over issues of race and identity politics.

Caesar-Chavannes apologized to Bernier on Twitter on Tuesday morning after telling him in a tweet posted three days ago to “check your privilege and be quiet” in a heated discussion about funding for minority communities in the budget and whether it is racist to say you want to be colour-blind.

“I am not too big to admit when I am wrong,” she wrote. “Limiting discussion on this important issue by telling you to be quiet was not cool. If you are willing, let’s chat when back in Ottawa. We are miles apart on this important issue and it is possible to come a little closer.”

Bernier did not seem open to the idea.

“Thank you for recognizing my right to air an opinion,” he wrote back on Twitter. “I don’t think we can find much common ground beyond that however. You and (Minister Ahmed) Hussen implied I’m a racist because I want to live in a society where everyone is treated equally and not defined by their race.”

Bernier also said everything possible should be done to give everyone equal opportunity, but said defining people based on race, gender and sexual identity and granting different rights and privileges to people based on those definitions “only creates more division and injustice and will balkanize our society.”

“I say it’s time we Conservatives stop being afraid to defend our vision of a just society made up of free and equal individuals and push back against those who want to silence any opinion that differs from theirs,” Bernier said.