Bradford residents tired of the main political parties can get a glimpse into what the newly created People’s Party of Canada (PPC) is about on Thursday.
“In the first seven weeks of existence, the party has signed up more than 30,000 founding members across Canada,” said Frank Fronte, regional organizer for the party.
Members of the party, as well as their guests and members of the public interested in joining the party, are invited to a 60- to 90-minute meeting Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the BWG Public Library.
People can nominate themselves for executive roles, including president, vice president, financial agent, and secretary, in the local riding association.
“Those interested in nomination will be reminded of the core principles of the party and the pledge that we want our executives to sign,” Fronte said.
Afterward, party members will be encouraged to introduce themselves, explain why they joined the party, and discuss the party’s platform and plans for the 2019 federal election.
Maxime Bernier, a former MP for the Quebec riding of Beauce, created the People’s Party of Canada after leaving the Conservatives in August.
Before stepping away from the Conservatives, he had been criticized for a string of tweets condemning Canada’s immigration system, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s support for diversity as “radical multiculturalism.”
Since officially registering the party with Elections Canada in October, Bernier has been attending rallies across the country to drum up support.
Former Conservative York-Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan, who told BradfordToday after Bernier left that a new political party was “absolutely not” necessary, retired in September.
Businessman and entrepreneur Scot Davidson won the Conservative Party of Canada nomination for the riding in October, but a byelection could be called after Dec. 10, said Fronte.
“The PPC will be able to field a candidate. This makes the meeting on Nov. 15 even more important as we prepare for a potential byelection,” he said.
