Scheer mum on Booting Bernier over remarks

MP ‘speaking for himself’ CPC leader says while addressing media in Regina

Saying Maxime Bernier speaks for himself, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Andrew Scheer refused to discuss whether or not he is considering booting the controversial Quebec MP from caucus.

Scheer faces mounting pressure to remove Bernier from caucus over a series of controversial social media posts in which the Quebec MP continued to attack “extreme Liberal multiculturalism.”

Addressing media in Regina on Thursday, Scheer, who narrowly defeated Bernier in last year’s CPC leadership contest, said he would not “get into internal caucus discussions” when asked about removing Bernier.

Instead, the CPC leader said there is a caucus expectation for everyone to be working together.

“Mr. Bernier does not hold a position in our caucus. He’s not a shadow minister. He’s not the spokesperson on any issue, so it’s clear that when he expresses those types of comments that he’s speaking for himself,” said Scheer, noting the party is focused on beating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party in the next election.

He later added Bernier is, “an individual member of Parliament. He doesn’t speak for the party.”

Scheer spoke of the CPC’S record of promoting diversity rather than condemning Bernier’s Sunday tweets that criticized the Liberals’ policy of “extreme multiculturalism” and the “cult of victimhood.”

“We have members of Parliament from all over the country, many of whom have differences of opinions on some issues,” said Scheer. “I have asked all members of our team to work together. I believe that’s the best way to win the next election, is to provide that, show that we’re a government in waiting, show that we’ve got the types of policies that will resonate with Canadians, that we’re ready to take over and address the very issues that people are concerned about.”

Asked what Bernier’s comments say about the conservative movement in Canada, Scheer said that any time comments like this are made, “with very sweeping statements, I believe that you can have both a policy that is embracing of people coming to this country from all over the world while at the same time preserving our Canadian identity, passing that along and celebrating the fact that we are a country that people want to come to.”

On Tuesday, Bernier seized on a decision to name a park in Winnipeg after the founder of Pakistan, comparing it to the decision to remove a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald from outside Victoria city hall.

“While a statue of our country’s founder is being removed in one city, a park was recently named after Pakistan’s founder in another, in the presence of M-103 Liberal MP sponsor,” he wrote — a reference to controversial Liberal MP Iqra Khalid.

Khalid was the sponsor of M-103, a motion in the House of Commons aimed at denouncing “Islamophobia.”