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(LifeSiteNews) – Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People’s Party of Canada, warned that “cancel culture” is destroying the foundation of the nation and that while focusing on the economy is important, even more so is fighting against the rise of “wokeism.”
“We all want more prosperity, because a dynamic and wealth-creating economy is how we can afford to pay for everything,” Bernier wrote in a recent blog post titled “It’s not just the economy.”
“But that’s not all there is in life. It’s not just the economy. We also need to live in a secure and stable society where our identity and way of life are preserved.”
Bernier noted how the open border “mass immigration policies” of the Canadian federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is “transforming our country at a maddening pace and threatening social cohesion.”
“I disagree that it’s good for our economy,” Bernier wrote.
“What’s the point if we become a ‘post-national’ society unable to integrate its immigrants and divided along tribal lines?”
Bernier then continued by saying, “Wokeism is taking over every institution, from the media to cultural and educational institutions, government agencies, and even the courts and businesses.”
He noted that current government policies are based on nothing more than “racial and gender identities” that he said are “being implemented everywhere.”
“Our country’s history is being denigrated as genocidal. Everything associated with Western Civilization is being downgraded as ‘white supremacy,’” Bernier noted.
Canada’s current birth rate is at record lows, under the population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. The Trudeau Liberals have used the low birth rate as a reason to expand immigration to Canada instead of promoting population growth from within.
The Trudeau Liberals plan on letting into Canada 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, 447,055 in 2023 and 451,000 in 2024.
Bernier, who once served as a cabinet minister under former conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper before leaving the party to create the People’s Party, has been vocal on many issues affecting family and life.
While the People’s Party has no official policy on abortion and Bernier in the past showing support for early-term abortions, he recently blasted the late-term killing of unborn babies as “abhorrent,” saying the time is right for a debate on abortion in Canada.
He also chose not to get the COVID jabs and is currently challenging Canada’s injection travel mandate in court.
Both the People’s Party and Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) are the only parties that do not support radical policies such as late-term abortion.
Bernier blasts ‘radical gender ideology’
In his blog post, Bernier took issue with “radical” attacks on Canadian children via the public school system.
“Our children are being taught that they should feel guilty if they are white, or feel like helpless victims if they aren’t,” Bernier wrote.
“They’re being deliberately confused about their identity by radical gender ideology. And the legacy media are feeding us this crazy far-left nonsense every day.”
Bernier noted that while it is fine to be a “prosperous” nation if the only focus is on the economy, “we’re going to lose everything else that made Canada one of the best countries in the world where to live.”
While some conservative MPs have been vocal in upholding traditional family values such as leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, who is pro-life, historically the party leaders have been silent on many of the issues Bernier raises.
Bernier said that his party is the “only party raising these other issues in Ottawa.”
In last fall’s federal election, Bernier ran a campaign on freedom, fighting against vaccine passports, mandates, and masks as well as government overreach. He was the only party leader to do so.
The People’s Party did not win any seats but managed to pick up a larger percentage of the popular vote at 5 percent.
The party platform blasts COVID-19 lockdowns, vaccine passports, and mask mandates.
The party has come out against attacks on freedom of speech as well as what Bernier calls Trudeau’s “woke fanaticism.”