Scheer urged to give Bernier the boot
OTTAWA • Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was under mounting pressure to denounce Maxime Bernier’s public statements and kick him out of caucus Wednesday after the maverick MP used his Twitter feed to renew a sustained attack on “extreme Liberal multiculturalism.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh used the social media platform to say he’s been waiting for Scheer to “do the responsible thing” and denounce what he calls Bernier’s “divisive” words.
“To everyone that belongs to a diverse community — who’s been told you don’t belong — I’ve been in your shoes, I get it,” Singh wrote, saying he’s “deeply disappointed” in Scheer.
“His refusal to denounce these divisive comments sends a dangerous message. Children of diverse backgrounds across Canada pick up on these messages. Right now, they need to hear that their country wants more of themselves, not less.”
In a series of tweets posted Sunday, Bernier said promoting too much diversity could have the effect of dividing Canada into “little tribes” that cause division and erode Canada’s identity.
“Having people live among us who reject basic Western values such as freedom, equality, tolerance and openness doesn’t make us strong. People who refuse to integrate into our society and want to live apart in their ghetto don’t make our society strong,” Bernier tweeted.
“Trudeau’s extreme multiculturalism and cult of diversity will divide us into little tribes that have less and less in common, apart from their dependence on government in Ottawa. These tribes become political clienteles to be bought with taxpayers (money) and special privileges.”
And on Monday, Bernier posted two more tweets insisting that he’s not against diversity in Canada, but is opposed to “pushing for ever more of it.”
On Tuesday, he 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” that quickly became a lightning rod for Opposition MPs who saw the motion as a possible attack on free speech.
Arif Virani, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of heritage, also called for Bernier’s ouster Wednesday — and called out Scheer for failing to condemn his caucus member’s behaviour.
“I urge you to remove Mr. Bernier from your caucus immediately, otherwise Canadians will be forced to conclude that you accept his backward views,” Virani wrote.