What is Maxime Bernier REALLY up to?

[Keepitsimple]

What is Maxime Bernier up to? Is he, as media reports indicate, setting himself up for a run at the Conservative leadership at some point in the future.......or has he been given the role of "intriguing" Quebec as to what Conservatives could do for them if allowed the freedom to govern with a majority? Cleverly, Prime Minister Harper has indicated that Maxime speaks for himself - but Quebeckers cannot help but see a Conservative vision through his eyes.....and his latest article's proposal would certainly be embraced by Quebec. Clever people those Conservatives - Harper placates Canadians by saying that Maxime speaks for himself.....Quebeckers are led to believe by Bernier that if anyone can help them get the Federal Gevernment out of their provincial juristiction - it's the Conservatives.

Calling for an end to $40-billion in social and health transfers to the provinces, Maxime Bernier is criticizing his own government’s policies in areas of provincial jurisdiction and laying another plank in his platform for a future Conservative leadership bid.

The Conservative MP is planning to use a luncheon speech at Toronto’s Albany Club on Wednesday to further his credentials as a fiscal conservative who would revolutionize Ottawa and oversee a radically smaller federal apparatus.

Ending Social & Health Transfers: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/bernier-seeks-end-to-40-billion-in-social-health-transfers-to-provinces/article1754507/

Capping Federal Spending: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2010/02/11/the-chopping-block-zero-budget-growth.aspx

[nicky10013]

What is Maxime Bernier up to? Is he, as media reports indicate, setting himself up for a run at the Conservative leadership at some point in the future.......or has he been given the role of "intriguing" Quebec as to what Conservatives could do for them if allowed the freedom to govern with a majority? Cleverly, Prime Minister Harper has indicated that Maxime speaks for himself - but Quebeckers cannot help but see a Conservative vision through his eyes.....and his latest article's proposal would certainly be embraced by Quebec. Clever people those Conservatives - Harper placates Canadians by saying that Maxime speaks for himself.....Quebeckers are led to believe by Bernier that if anyone can help them get the Federal Gevernment out of their provincial juristiction - it's the Conservatives.

Ending Social & Health Transfers: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/bernier-seeks-end-to-40-billion-in-social-health-transfers-to-provinces/article1754507/

Capping Federal Spending: http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2010/02/11/the-chopping-block-zero-budget-growth.aspx

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

[Rick]

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

Hmmm, division within the ranks.

Could this be the next Reform/PC split of the Conservatives?

Let's hope so.

[PIK]

He is just getting ready for a leadership race in 4 or so years.

[Topaz]

I wonder if Harper made a deal with Bernier. If he can get the Quebec support then Harper will see that Bernier is the next leader of the Conservatives?

[Rick]

He is just getting ready for a leadership race in 4 or so years.

It'll be much sooner than that if you listen to the discontent within the blogging Conservatives over PM Harper's 4 consecutive failures to win a single majority government.

I'll bet when the Conservatives fail to win a majority in the next election, after failing 5 times with Canadians loudly rejecting to trust them with a majority as long as he's at the helm, the party will want blood and it'll be Harper's.

Bernier's choice to move the party further to the right will not play well with those within the party who now believe they're entitled to hold power at any cost to their principles.

Either way, a divided Conservative party is a win win for Canada.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Rick

[madmax]

What is Maxime Bernier up to?

LOL....

[ToadBrother]

It'll be much sooner than that if you listen to the discontent within the blogging Conservatives over PM Harper's 4 consecutive failures to win a single majority government.

I'll bet when the Conservatives fail to win a majority in the next election, after failing 5 times with Canadians loudly rejecting to trust them with a majority as long as he's at the helm, the party will want blood and it'll be Harper's.

Bernier's choice to move the party further to the right will not play well with those within the party who now believe they're entitled to hold power at any cost to their principles.

Either way, a divided Conservative party is a win win for Canada.

While I suppose Harper has to take some of the blame, the fact of the matter is that even the Liberals after Chretien left couldn't get a majority government. With the BQ holding their own in Quebec, an area of growth for both Liberals and Conservatives has been plugged up. Where Harper clearly has issues is in Ontario, he's already achieved pretty much all he can in the West. Maybe Harper can't overcome the hump, but I'm dubious that any Tory could at this point. Maybe Bernier singing the "not transfer" song might get some traction, but it's a bit of a hand grenade, too. From a strategic point of view I'd be leery of it.

The only obvious successor I ever saw to Harper was Mackay, but he would have had a problem with the Reform wing, and the Afghan prisoner issue dealt him some pretty serious blows. But it's possible that Bernier is aligning himself. Certainly he could march into Ontario and Alberta whistling that tune and get some eager ears, maybe even in BC, though BC was receiving equalization money from the feds nearly a decade ago, when it shifted to "have not".

Anyone who counts Harper down for the count is seriously misjudging his abilities. This is a man who grabbed victory from the jaws of certain defeat in the Commons in 2008. I can't see him just politely walking away. If there is a group of Tories out to get him, they're going to find out that whatever his other flaws, the one thing Harper is not is a push-over. You won't be getting any "they won't have Nixon to kick around anymore" moments out of him.

Besides, I'm not exactly seeing anything particularly inspirational out of the Liberals. Iggy has been a huge disappointment, and ample evidence that lots of brains doesn't necessarily make for a smart political leader.

Edited October 13, 2010 by ToadBrother

[Keepitsimple]

I think Bernier might be playing to a Quebec audience on behalf of the Conservatives....letting Quebecers know that Conservatives would move towards giving the provinces (especially Quebec) the autonomy that most of them would like. In iother words - give us the money and let us handle our areas of juristiction as we see fit. Harper cannot overtly do this because the media and opposition would immediately be all over him. This way, he can drum up some support in Quebec while distancing himself from the substance of Bernier's statements. We'll see if the polls start giving them a bump.

[PIK]

It'll be much sooner than that if you listen to the discontent within the blogging Conservatives over PM Harper's 4 consecutive failures to win a single majority government.

I'll bet when the Conservatives fail to win a majority in the next election, after failing 5 times with Canadians loudly rejecting to trust them with a majority as long as he's at the helm, the party will want blood and it'll be Harper's.

Bernier's choice to move the party further to the right will not play well with those within the party who now believe they're entitled to hold power at any cost to their principles.

Either way, a divided Conservative party is a win win for Canada.

Harper can still get a majority, immigration is the next big election ticket and if canadians want to regain control of thier country again harper is the last chance, I for one am sick and tired of working hard only to see my money disappear in taxes, taxes that goes to people that do not give a shit about this country or it traditions, just show me the money. Do you think trudeaus just society meant women in canada walking around in burkas, do you think his just society meant men going around with more then one wife, did his just society means we should bring in sharia law,doews it mean that you can kill your daughter because you disagree with her life choice, do you think that trudeaus version of bilingualism means that people can speak neither french or english in this country and get away with it.Your hatred for harper or anything conservative is blinding you and killing this country.

[ToadBrother]

Harper can still get a majority, immigration is the next big election ticket

What a fantasy. I'm sure the next big election ticket will be the economy.

and if canadians want to regain control of thier country again harper is the last chance, I for one am sick and tired of working hard only to see my money disappear in taxes, taxes that goes to people that do not give a shit about this country or it traditions, just show me the money.

Yeah, that's the placards the Tories will carry, if they want to lose.

Do you think trudeaus just society meant women in canada walking around in burkas,

I doubt Trudeau intended a just society to mean "We tell people what to wear." But I do find it amusing that the right-wing is now co-opting Trudeau. Oh, the irony...

do you think his just society meant men going around with more then one wife,

I don't exactly see a lot of people running around with more than one. If you're talking about Bountiful, the problem is simply that no one is willing to testify. They often have the same problem in Utah and Arizona. Convicting polygamists can be difficult.

did his just society means we should bring in sharia law,

That one seems to have been shot down. It was a stupid idea.

doews it mean that you can kill your daughter because you disagree with her life choice,

Last time I checked, anyone who does that gets charged with murder. Can you show me where anyone has advocated protecting parents who kill their children?

do you think that trudeaus version of bilingualism means that people can speak neither french or english in this country and get away with it.

My best friend when I was growing up had his grandparents and his dad and his uncles (all but the youngest kid) immigrate from Germany after the war. The grandfather spoken pretty good English, but the grandmother spoken a virtually incomprehensible mix of German and English. Heck, several of my grandfather's sisters married Norwegians in the 1930s, some of which had a pretty iffy command of English.

To actually gain citizenship requires a fairly good knowledge of English or French, not to mention some knowledge of Canadian history and the political system. One of my wife's nephews married a girl from the Philippines, and she told us about the test she had to take. Not easy.

Your hatred for harper or anything conservative is blinding you and killing this country.

And your hatred of anyone different from yourself is sad and disturbing.

[ToadBrother]

I think Bernier might be playing to a Quebec audience on behalf of the Conservatives....letting Quebecers know that Conservatives would move towards giving the provinces (especially Quebec) the autonomy that most of them would like. In iother words - give us the money and let us handle our areas of juristiction as we see fit. Harper cannot overtly do this because the media and opposition would immediately be all over him. This way, he can drum up some support in Quebec while distancing himself from the substance of Bernier's statements. We'll see if the polls start giving them a bump.

How is this any different than what Manning was trying to sell fifteen years ago?

[Bryan]

Hmmm, division within the ranks.

Could this be the next Reform/PC split of the Conservatives?

Let's hope so.

Quite the opposite. This is really energizing to that small-c conservative base. The people that formed the core of the Reform Party are the only ones not that happy with Harper, because he's turned out to be far more to the left than what they signed on for. To see that someone who might be a contender for the leadership some day espousing stronger conservative principles than we're currently seeing gives them MORE confidence in the future of the Conservative movement.

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

You'd think so, but Bernier has actively been going door to door in Alberta with CPC candidates. They really like what he has to say specifically because he's NOT a typical Quebec politician. Far too many eastern Conservatives are really just Liberals wearing blue suits. Bernier a real conservative who just happens to be from the east. That's very refreshing.

At bare minimum, he's got them listening to see what else he'll say or do.

How is this any different than what Manning was trying to sell fifteen years ago?

It's very similar, and that's what's so appealing about it.

[Keepitsimple]

How is this any different than what Manning was trying to sell fifteen years ago?

Not that different at all - but the times are different. Quebec is not the only province that would like to see Ottawa out of Healthcare altogether - Ontario is also on the bandwagon. Like it or not, Healthcare will hit a brick wall unless the provinces are given free® rein to experiment with different delivery mechanisms to control costs. Stop the bickering between Provinces and the Feds - and remove the illusion that Ottawa actually has an impact on the delivery of Healthcare - Ottawa's share is now only about 14% of Healthcare funding, if I remember right. Heavy centralization, Liberal style, is passe.....the provinces are robust, mature governments who are much closer to the people because they deliver all the services - granted, some through Municipalities.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Keepitsimple

[Alta4ever]

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

I think you would be surprised.

[Alta4ever]

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

I think you would be surprised.

[Topaz]

I just wonder if this is one of the things Harper wants to do if he had a majority. What would they use that 40 Bil. for? Pay off their deficit or put towards the military, build it up so we can go somewhere and play war? I think Canadians would be the ones suffering under this idea.

[M.Dancer]

What Bernier is doing more than anything else is scaring Liberals....I mean, the last dynamic French personality the Liberals had was Dion so you can see why this would make them nervous...

[Jerry J. Fortin]

Max is far too pro-Quebec and anti-Alberta for me and most likely everybody else in the west.

[M.Dancer]

I think Canadians would be the ones suffering under this idea.

I think the ones we would be warring on would be worse...

[Shwa]

What Bernier is doing more than anything else is scaring Liberals....I mean, the last dynamic French personality the Liberals had was Dion so you can see why this would make them nervous...

Not so, they have Dominic Leblanc in the wings.

[msdogfood]

Harper can still get a majority, immigration is the next big election ticket and if canadians want to regain control of thier country again harper is the last chance, I for one am sick and tired of working hard only to see my money disappear in taxes, taxes that goes to people that do not give a shit about this country or it traditions, just show me the money. Do you think trudeaus just society meant women in canada walking around in burkas, do you think his just society meant men going around with more then one wife, did his just society means we should bring in sharia law,doews it mean that you can kill your daughter because you disagree with her life choice, do you think that trudeaus version of bilingualism means that people can speak neither french or english in this country and get away with it.Your hatred for harper or anything conservative is blinding you and killing this country.

Canada is the most Multicultural country on the planet be careful with the race bating!!!.

[bush_cheney2004]

Canada is the most Multicultural country on the planet be careful with the race bating!!!.

No, Canada thinks it is the most "Multicultural" country on the planet.

[Shwa]

No, Canada thinks it is the most "Multicultural" country on the planet.

No, some Canadians think that Canada is the most "Multicultural" country on the planet.

[August1991]

What is Maxime Bernier up to?

Let me answer your question here. (And then I'll read through this short thread to respond to other's posts. Call this an experiment.)

First, Maxime Bernier says what he wants. IOW, the "Leftist Toronto Anglo Media" meme that Stephen Harper is a control freak has at least one contrary fact. Harper hasn't kicked Bernier out of caucus.

Conclusion? Maybe the meme is false. The "Leftist Toronto Anglo Media" only declares Harper a control freak when Harper doesn't do/say what "they" want.

Second, Bernier is from the Beauce and he is largely ignored in the Montreal media. (The Beauce is special in Quebec: it's the Quebec of Quebec.)

Third, I think Quebec is currently going through a revolution/midlife crisis. Quebec Inc doesn't work, and people are tired of the existential question. Bernier is trying to profit from this malaise.

Edited October 15, 2010 by August1991