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Federal Election 2021

Why Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives should be looking over their shoulders at Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada

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When Maxime Bernier left the federal Conservative party after losing a tight leadership race against Andrew Scheer, he called party leaders “morally and intellectually corrupt” and he started the People’s Party of Canada in time to run in the 2019 Federal Election.  The results were not very good.  The PPC captured just 1.6% of the vote and Bernier lost his own seat.

Despite losing his own seat, Bernier actually managed to make a significant impact in the 2019 election.  Here’s how.

Although Justin Trudeau’s government lost its majority, the distribution of seats meant all three of the main opposition parties would have to join together in order to overcome the Liberals with a vote in Parliament.  The Liberals won 157 seats.  Together the Conservatives (121 seats) and the BQ (32 seats) had just 153 seats.  That meant the NDP with 24 seats actually held the balance of power in Canada’s 43rd Parliament.

By splitting the Conservative vote ever so slightly, the PPC did manage to stop the Conservatives from winning 3 more seats from the Liberals.  In two Ontario ridings, Kitchener-Constoga, and Richmond Hill, as well as the northern riding of Yukon, the total Conservative and PPC votes would have been enough to defeat the Liberals who won those seats.  That means the outcome of the minority government would have been Liberals 154 seats against 156 seats between the Conservatives and the BQ.  That just might have made a huge difference in the way the Liberals governed Canada for the last two years.

Fast forward to 2021 and Bernier’s PPC still isn’t much of a threat at first glance.  Take a deeper look though and you can see the potential of a much larger problem for the Conservatives.  Half way through the campaign, Justin Trudeau is struggling mightily. The Conservatives look to be in position to win a minority government and Erin O’Toole is currently trending toward majority territory.  A difference of 4% or 5% in the popular vote could make all the difference between a minority Liberal government, a minority Conservative government, or even a Conservative majority.  Well, 4% or 5% is just where the PPC is sitting in the polls right now.

From: The Province. Photo of September 1 Vancouver rally against mandated vaccines.

The PPC is emerging as an option for Conservatives looking for a different approach to major issues.  Maxime Bernier stands alone as the only party leader strongly opposed to vaccine passports.  When it comes to climate change the PPC is the only party against the Carbon Tax approach to battling what Bernier calls “Climate Alarmism”.  Standing alone may not have meant much in 2019, but just two years later it seems the PPC is catching on at least in a small way.

Bernier’s campaign seems to be gaining momentum as the PPC overtakes the federal Green Part in the polls and Bernier is filling rooms on campaign stops throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC.

Maxime Bernier addresses a full room in Red Deer Monday, August 30

Bernier addressing crowded room in Didsbury, Alberta

Bernier addresses crowded room in Airdrie, Alberta

Sights like this must be a tad disturbing to Conservatives concerned about splitting votes on the right side of the spectrum.  Conservative supporters have been urging voters considering the PPC to rally around Erin O’Toole who is far and away the front-runner 0n the right.  As for Bernier supporters, their best case scenario is to win a few seats and stop the Conservatives just short of a majority government.  That might give their fledgling party an undue amount of influence.   But it’s also a gamble that ‘might’ result in a significant split of the vote on the right which would be a gift to the Liberals.

As is usually the case when it comes to upstart parties splitting the vote, PPC supporters don’t mind the risk.  They’re circulating campaign videos like this and thinking an alternative voice is critically important right now.  Judging by the excitement Bernier’s managing to create on the campaign trail, it’s starting to look like the PPC might punch well above its weight on Election Day.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Trudeau’s office was warned that Chinese agents posed ‘existential threat’ to Canada: secret memo

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘Until foreign interference is viewed as an existential threat to Canadian democracy and governments forcefully and actively respond, these threats will persist,’ reads the 2023 memo given to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office.

Details from a “top secret” memo have shown that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office was given explicit warnings by Canadian intelligence that agents of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) meddling in the nation’s elections posed an “existential threat to Canadian democracy.”  

The disclosure that Trudeau’s office was warned of CCP meddling in Canada’s elections process came during testimony last week at the Foreign Interference Commission. 

Counsel for Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Michael Chong observed that a “top secret” memo titled, Briefing To The Prime Minister’s Office On Foreign Interference Threats To Canada’s Democratic Institutions, dated February 21, 2023, was “truly” a “remarkable document” in what it revealed.  

The six-page memo went into full detail as to the extent of CCP subterfuge which targeted Canada’s Conservative Party in both the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. 

“State actors are able to conduct foreign interference successfully in Canada because there are few legal or political consequences,” reads the memo.  

“Until foreign interference is viewed as an existential threat to Canadian democracy and governments forcefully and actively respond, these threats will persist.” 

Trudeau has been coy and has never explicitly stated whether he was ever told by members of Canada’s intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), that the CCP agents’ actions were in breach of the nation’s Elections Act 

The Foreign Interference Commission was convened to “examine and assess the interference by China, Russia, and other foreign states or non-state actors, including any potential impacts, to confirm the integrity of, and any impacts on, the 43rd and 44th general elections (2019 and 2021 elections) at the national and electoral district levels.”  

The Commission is being headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who had earlier said that she and her lawyers will remain “impartial” and will not be influenced by politics and began on January 29.   

Thus far, the commission has resulted in some interesting findings which are now public.  

Yesterday, LifeSiteNews reported how Chong testified before the inquiry that agents of the CCP could install a premier or prime minister of their choosing by infiltrating supposedly closed party leadership races. 

Last week, LifeSiteNews reported that this same memo showed that CCP agents did help to elect “pro-China” candidates after disclosing the existence of a large cash payments scheme totaling $250,000 made to so-called “pro-China” public office holders. 

Trudeau in 2023 denied he was warned by security officials  

Trudeau, in May of 2023, said to reporters that he did not know anything about CCP agents targeting conservative MPs.  

“The Canadian Security Intelligence Service knew about certain things but didn’t feel it reached a threshold that required them to pass it up out of CSIS,” he said.

“Was it briefed up out of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service? It was not,” he said, adding that “CSIS made the determination it wasn’t something that needed to be raised to a higher level because it wasn’t a significant enough concern.” 

The memo suggests that during the 2021 federal election, meddling efforts “were orchestrated or directed by the People’s Republic of China.” 

The unlawful conduct included “activities aimed at discouraging Canadians, particularly of Chinese heritage, from supporting the Conservative Party, leader Erin O’Toole and particularly Steveston-Richmond East candidate Kenny Chiu,” notes the memo. 

Last week, David Vigneault, who serves as CSIS director, told the inquiry that he supports the “conclusions” that the CCP was working to help elect China-friendly Canadian MPs.  

Thus far, the testimony at the Commission has revealed that former Conservative Party MP Kenny Chiu said he felt “betrayed” by the federal government after only now learning he was the target of agents of the CCP.  

Also, the public has learned via the inquiry from Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault that he was secretly warned by security agents of irregularities in the 2019 election. 

Recently, it was revealed that Trudeau’s office knew of security warnings against one of his MPs who was helped to get elected by Chinese agents yet kept him in the party regardless.  

When it comes to the CCP, many Canadians, especially pro-freedom Chinese Canadians, are concerned with the nation’s influence in what is supposed to be a democratic process. 

As for Trudeau, he has in the past praised China for its “basic dictatorship” and has labeled the authoritarian nation as his favorite country other than his own.  

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Conservative MP testifies that foreign agents could effectively elect Canada’s prime minister, premiers

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘We are effectively opening up the appointment of heads of state or provinces,’ warned Conservative Party of Canada MP Michael Chong during testimony at the Foreign Interference Commission.

Foreign affairs critic for the Conservative Party of Canada MP Michael Chong testified before the inquiry looking into alleged meddling in Canada’s last two federal elections that agents of the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) could install a premier, or prime minister of their choosing by infiltrating supposedly closed party leadership races. 

“We are effectively opening up the appointment of heads of state or provinces,” testified Chong to the Foreign Interference Commission, the name of the inquiry tasked with investigating alleged election meddling.

“We could have a situation where a prime minister resigns, and a prime minister is appointed and elected through a leadership process impacted by non-citizens and foreign state actors.”  

During his April 3 testimony, Chong suggested that foreign agents working on behalf of China could install leaders of their choosing. He made the testimony after classified documents from Canada’s intelligence services, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), showed that Chinese operatives were allegedly operating through consulate proxies to elect a person of their choosing.  

Alleged Chinese proxies working for the United Front Work Department have been under intense scrutiny at the Commission. Indeed, the classified intelligence shows that the federal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau knew that there was foreign meddling taking place in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections but did not appear to do anything about it.  

As first reported by The Bureau, an intelligence report dated October 2022 claims that CCP agents were active in both provincial and federal party leadership contests during that year.

The assessment did not identify any candidates by their names, but CSIS had been investigating a candidate known only as “CA3” in 2022, during Alberta and British Columbia’s premier leadership races.  

The report from 2022 also claimed that a so-called “PRC-linked proxy” was engaged in trying to “help elect the next leader of a federal political party in Canada,” through means of “encouraging individuals who are supportive of the Chinese Communist Party to join this same political party to influence … a more positive view of China.” 

According to Liberal Party spokesperson Sarah Fischer, she had earlier told The Bureau that they were “not aware of the allegations.” 

The Commission is being headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who had earlier said that she and her lawyers will remain “impartial” and will not be influenced by politics and began on January 29.   

In January, Hogue said that she would “uncover the truth whatever it may be.”   

During testimony last week at the inquiry looking into alleged meddling in Canada’s last two federal elections, the head of the nation’s intelligence agency confirmed that CCP agents did help to elect “pro-China” candidates, also disclosing the existence of a large cash payments scheme totaling $250,000. 

Last week as well, David Vigneault, who serves as CSIS director, told the inquiry that he supports the “conclusions” that the CCP was working to help elect China-friendly Canadian MPs.  

Thus far, the testimony at the Commission has revealed that former Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Kenny Chiu said he felt “betrayed” by the federal government after only now learning he was the target of agents of the CCP.  

Also, the public has learned via the inquiry from Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault that he was secretly warned by security agents of irregularities in the 2019 election. 

Recently, it was revealed that Trudeau’s office knew of security warnings against one of his MPs who was helped to get elected by Chinese agents, yet kept him in the party regardless 

When it comes to the CCP, many Canadians, especially pro-freedom Chinese Canadians, are concerned with the nation’s influence in what is supposed to be a democratic process. 

As for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he has in the past praised China for its “basic dictatorship” and has labeled the authoritarian nation as his favorite country other than his own.  

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