Unlike Eaglesmack's posturing, this infighting is real.
Conservatives tell MP Maxime Bernier to ‘play on the team' in midst of spat over identity politics
The Conservative Party is warning outspoken MP Maxime Bernier that he must choose between being a maverick or a caucus member after a public spat with Tory Leader Andrew Scheer over identity politics.
The back-and-forth comes a week before the party meets to chart its course for next year’s federal election.
Mr. Scheer on Thursday urged Mr. Bernier to be a team player, while his Quebec lieutenant Alain Rayes went further, suggesting there is a limit to how much deviation the caucus will tolerate from Mr. Scheer’s former leadership rival.
“We think that Maxime has his place within the party if he is ready to play on the team,” Mr. Rayes told The Globe. “He is not the leader today. It’s Andrew Scheer and we are all behind him.”
Referring to an eventual caucus discussion with Mr. Bernier, Mr. Rayes said the main question will be: “Are you on board or not?”
The party is set to hold a policy convention next week in Halifax. Some 3,000 delegates from across the country will debate major issues such as immigration, economic policy and democratic reform.
The convention is being billed as a chance to mobilize the Conservative Party’s base before the October, 2019, election. But Mr. Bernier’s recent controversial remarks on Twitter, on diversity and other hot-button issues, threaten to overshadow the agenda, with Conservative MPs expecting the matter to dominate the meetings.
On Thursday, Mr. Scheer avoided questions about Mr. Bernier’s future in the caucus.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/pol...t-over-identity-politics-comes-a-week-before/