OTTAWA – Quebec MP Maxime Bernier is trying to make his political movement official.
The Quebec MP clutched a thick brown folder under his arm as he arrived at Elections Canada offices in Gatineau, Que., this morning to seek official registration for the People’s Party of Canada.
For now, Bernier is the only candidate but he says there are already 43 riding associations in place and more candidates will be recruited in January.
WATCH: Past video coverage of Bernier’s policies and the creation of the People’s Party
Bernier was a Conservative MP for more than a decade before leaving the party in August amid a dispute with Leader Andrew Scheer, mainly over the party’s support for supply management.
Many on the conservative side of the political spectrum fear Bernier’s party will split the right-wing vote, allowing the Liberals to easily win another majority government.
While he doesn’t agree entirely with the platform of the incoming Coalition Avenir Quebec government in his home province, Bernier says he’s encouraged by the fact that people were willing to vote for a new party.