People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier loses his seat – again
People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier failed to win the seat in his riding of Beauce, Que. for the second election in a row, despite growing support for his party in recent weeks.
Bernier lost his riding on Monday to Conservative Party candidate Richard Lehoux, who defeated the PPC leader in the last federal election in 2019. Bernier had previously held the seat for 13 years as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, until he resigned his seat in 2018 to launch the PPC.
PPC support has been surging in recent weeks, but that has not translated to seats in the government. As of 10:53 p.m. ET, the PPC improved its 2019 performance with a 4.9 per cent share of the popular vote, but no seats in government.
Unfortunately, we won't be able to carry on this fight in parliament, but we will continue this battle to unite Canadians under the freedom umbrella.Maxime Bernier to supporters
"When the next election comes, we will be even better prepared and this time we will win seats in parliament.
While it didn't win any seats, the growth in popular support is an improvement for a party that appeared on the brink of extinction after it failed to win a seat in the 2019 election, gaining 1.6 per cent of the popular vote.
Bernier’s party has run a campaign that has been largely focused on opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccine mandates. The PPC’s party is also against policies related to multiculturalism, promising to substantially reduce the number of immigrants and refugees accepted into Canada. The party also promised to withdraw government interventions related to climate change, saying “climate change alarmism is based on flawed models.”
An Ipsos poll leading into election night found that the party was expected to receive 4 per cent of the ballots cast. Support for the PPC reached as high as 7 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and 6 per cent in Alberta, according to Ipsos. A Leger poll found that voting intention for the PPC party reached 6 per cent across the country, rising to as high as 10 per cent in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
