OTTAWA—Days after Conservative MP Maxime Bernier was turfed from his party’s shadow cabinet for continuing to promote his anti-supply management position, supporters are demanding he be reinstated and using money to show they mean business.
In an email to supporters this morning, Bernier says he’s “flabbergasted” that he managed to raise $30,000 in just 24 hours to help pay off his debts from the 2017 leadership campaign.
The fundraising haul came in after he emailed supporters Thursday morning with the subject heading “are you still with me?” — one day after he was ousted from his job as the party’s innovation critic.
Rebel Media is also running a petition on its website demanding Bernier be reinstated and the party rethink its position supporting supply management.
Leader Andrew Scheer fired Bernier from his shadow cabinet after he discovered Bernier had posted the supply management chapter of a forthcoming book on his personal website, despite having promised Scheer and the Conservative caucus he would no longer promote it.
A spokesman for Scheer says the leader has no comment on Bernier’s fundraising and directed The Canadian Press to Scheer’s statement from Wednesday, when he said he expects MPs to keep their commitments made to caucus.
