ATWOOD – One year after protesters in support of ending pandemic-related mandates and restrictions drove hundreds of vehicles through Perth and Wellington counties draped in Canadian flags with horns honking, People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Leader Maxime Bernier attended a gathering at the Elma Memorial Community Centre in Atwood.
The community centre in the North Perth community was the departure point for the local edition of the “Freedom Convoy” in February 2022.
Bernier greeted supporters on Feb. 4, also taking part in a breakfast, a meeting with business owners and other social activities as arranged by local PPC representatives.
The federal party leader described the Ottawa Freedom Convoy event and subsequent offshoot rallies that took place last year as a “celebration.”
“That Freedom Convoy was not a protest, that was a celebration of our country, of our identity as a country,” Bernier said.
“We were able to achieve something, we Canadians together. After that Freedom Convoy, the mandates in some provinces … they dropped the mandates and the restrictions.
“They won’t say it’s because of the Freedom Convoy, but we built for freedom fighters across the country a momentum, and that was my message.”
In fact, in October 2021, over three months prior to the local and Ottawa convoys, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province’s plans to lift many pandemic-related restrictions – including mandatory vaccine passports – by the following February, when some convoy rallies were still taking place.
After being formed by Bernier in 2018, the PPC and its candidates garnered 1.6 per cent of the popular national vote during the 2019 federal election. In 2021, the PPC had pushed that number up to 5%.
Bernier, who was unable to secure a House of Commons seat in his own riding in Beauce, Quebec in the last election, has been encouraged by the results seen nationally.
“It’s growing … and remember it took 15 years for the Green Party of Canada to have more than 1.6 per cent,” he said. “And we did that in our first election. After 35 years, the Green Party was at two per cent at the last election. For us, after four years, we had five per cent.
“Yes it’s growing, and this region is a good one for us.”
Wayne Baker was the Perth-Wellington federal riding PPC candidate in 2021, finishing fourth with 9.5% of the vote.
Baker was present at the PPC gathering on Saturday and it was his initial invitation to Bernier during a door-knocking campaign prior to the October 2020 York Centre by-election, that brought the leader to Atwood.
“What Max is doing right now, that’s what we need to take ourselves to the next level,” said Baker.
“The biggest issue I see is across Canada, and it’s not riding specific – it’s a severe lack of interest in our politics, a severe lack of participation in our politics.
“As long as we’re seeing that apathy, we’re not going to grow as a country. We need that engagement, we need that perspective. People need to know that what they vote and how they vote matters.”
When asked how they expect to maintain their party’s growth with the initial galvanizing issue of pandemic restrictions and mandates largely in the rear-view mirror, both Baker and Bernier said opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “authoritarian control” would continue to increase the PPC ranks.
“That’s the only way our prime minister knows how to rule, is through authoritarianism,” said Baker.
“Step by step, we are building something,” added Bernier.
“What I said to our candidates, it’s a revolution that we are doing. We are part of a revolution. It won’t happen tomorrow. We need to put in time, and that’s what I appreciate.
“They have other things to do, but they are putting in time and effort to build our party and our movement.
“I’m looking to the future and I’m very optimistic for us as a political movement.”