'Max is now a party of one': Peter MacKay weighs in on Bernier's Tory departure
On Thursday, Bernier announced he was leaving the federal Conservatives to start a new party
Former federal Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay says Maxime Bernier will take along "very little, if any" support for the party he intends to start.
MacKay, a former Nova Scotia MP, helped create the modern-day Conservative party in 2003 by leading the federal Progressive Conservatives into a merger with the Canadian Alliance party, then led by Stephen Harper.
On Thursday, Quebec MP Bernier announced his intention to splinter the party once again by forming his own federal party. The revelation from Bernier, who narrowly lost the Conservative leadership last year to Andrew Scheer, came as party faithful gathered in Halifax for their federal policy convention.
Bernier's comments came on the heels of controversial tweets he posted regarding multiculturalism and immigration.
On Friday, MacKay, who exited federal politics in 2015, spoke with the CBC's Tom Murphy.
Q: Tell me what you're thinking about Bernier's recent move.
A: I think it's unfortunate for him. It doesn't help the party, but it's like a Maritime weather system — it's passed over so quickly nobody is talking about it in the hall today. This has galvanized support for Andrew Scheer.
People were deeply disappointed in Max's decision, but they're moving on and it's better that it's happening now, as opposed to six weeks or six months before an election.
Q: What's your sense of what kind of support he will take with him?
A: Very little, if any. I think Max is now a party of one. We saw yesterday when he stood in front of the cameras, there was nobody there with him.
Q: Is there room on the political spectrum for the kind of party he's proposing?
A: I'm not sure, but there's room for the discussion he wants to have in this party. It's a big-tent party. If he feels he can't have that sort of open discussion, he's wrong.
And I think the general sentiment today was don't let the door hit your rear end on the way out.
Q: Can he form a party in less than 12 months?
A: I don't think he can, just in terms of resources. But more importantly, I think there is very little space on the political spectrum for what he's talking about and you can't be a one-issue party and expect to be truly competitive in a country like ours.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
With files from Catharine Tunney, Tom Murphy