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Maxime Bernier and PPC says pipelines will be imposed if elected

Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, was in Red Deer Thursday
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As part of his tour of Alberta, Maxime Bernier and his local candidates with the People’s Party of Canada were in Red Deer to spread the word about the new political party.

An oil and gas rally earlier in the day led way to a town hall meeting Thursday evening.

Bernier and some of the local candidates spoke about what the new party promises to bring to the country if elected.

The main talking point for the town hall was building pipelines.

Bernier says pipelines are important for all of Canada and will bring “unity and prosperity” to the country.

“They call me Mad Max, and I am mad… I am mad because no one in Ottawa will fight for pipelines,” Bernier said.

Bernier says no other party is willing to fight to build pipeline in Canada, and called Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s National Energy Corridor a “nice buzzword.”

His plan is to impose pipelines on provinces using the Constitution. Specifically, he will use section 92(10) of the Canadian Constitution to impose pipelines on opposing provinces.

“We have a great Constitution… It is simple we will write, ‘This pipeline… is in the national interest of our country.’ That is it.”

He says by using the Canadian Constitution in this way the Federal Government, namely the People’s Party of Canada if elected, will have full jurisdiction to build a pipeline.

“B.C. and Quebec will try to fight us on it, they will take it to court, but they will won’t be able to stop it.

“That’s the only way,” Bernier said.

When the topic of equalization payments came up, Bernier said his solution was to change the formula and to encourage other provinces to develop their own resources.

“Equalization is a poor tax, we give money to the ‘poor provinces.’ …In Quebec I have explained that the reason we get the money is because we are a poor province, and no one likes that.”

While Bernier took the chance to slam his former party member, Scheer, saying he is changing the Conservative Party to be a left leaning centrist party, he also took digs as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Bernier mocked Trudeau’s judgment, specifically when it came to the budget.

He claims the People’s Party of Canada will balance the budget in two years - where Trudeau said the budget will balance itself - while also lowering taxes for Canadians.

“We are the common-sense revolution,” Bernier said of the grassroots People’s Party of Canada.

The federal election is planned for Oct. 21, with the leaders of the parties already hot on the campaign trail.