Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), was arrested last Friday after speaking at an anti-lockdown protest in St-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba. He was arrested for violating provincial health orders, which prohibit indoor and outdoor gatherings on both public and private property and mandate 14 days of self-isolation for anyone entering the province.
The arrest was hardly a surprise. Before his trip, he received a letter from the Manitoba Department of Health informing him that attending the planned rallies would be illegal. He also received two citations at a different rally earlier that day, and the officer issuing the ticket warned him that he could be arrested if he continued attending rallies.
Undeterred, Bernier continued with his plans. Upon arriving in St-Pierre-Joly, a town of about 1,000, Bernier addressed those who had gathered to hear him speak. There were less than a dozen people in attendance. The whole event was outdoors and physically distanced.
Shortly after the protest, his truck was pulled over and he was arrested on the spot. “Do you have anything on you that’s going to hurt me?” the arresting officer asks.
“No. Nothing that will hurt you,” Bernier replies. “Only my words. Only my philosophy. Only what I believe in.”
Our Leader Maxime Bernier was wrongfully arrested this afternoon by the RCMP in St-Pierre-Jolys, Man., for attending rallies with supporters.
— Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) June 11, 2021
-PPC Team pic.twitter.com/sbOpu6RORn
