Despite the repugnant tweets from Maxime Bernier, suggesting that the government is practising “extreme multiculturalism,” it appears that Bernier won’t be kicked out of the federal Conservative caucus.
Bernier suggested that multiculturalism will divide Canada into a nation of tribes with few common interests, which certainly contradicts the direction of federal governments, both Liberal and Conservative.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has condemned Bernier’s comments, accusing him of playing the politics of division, but Scheer stopped short of a personal rebuke, much to the surprise of many outraged MPs of all stripes.
It’s clear that Scheer and Bernier don’t like each other; Bernier has accused Scheer of edging him out of the Conservative leadership race by employing “fake conservatives” to swing the vote.
WATCH: Conservative MP Bernier slams Trudeau’s ‘extreme multiculturalism’
As much as Scheer may be tempted to rid himself of the troublesome Bernier, political pragmatism may be holding him back.
Bernier came within a whisker of winning the leadership and still has strong support among conservative hard-liners in the party.
Bernier’s political muscle is most evident in Quebec, and it goes without saying that if Andrew Scheer wants to sit on the government side of the House after the next election, he can’t afford to alienate the Bernier faction within the party.
So, Scheer will condemn the sin, but not the sinner, and hope that there’s a political payback down the road.
Bill Kelly is the host of the Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML