By Jen Hodgson
PPC leader Maxime Bernier, hot on the heels of a successful leadership review, hopes Albertans will vote in favour of independence — not to break up Canada, but so that serious concessions will be made by Ottawa.
Bernier won the leadership review with 79.1% of the vote, a drop in approval since his 2021 review, where he garnered a staggering 95.6% approval rate. Notably, voter turnout was significantly lower this time — 32.7% compared to a 57% voter participation rate four years ago.
Bernier was undeterred by the lower approval rating, but would have liked to see more party members submit a vote.
“I’m very pleased. I’m satisfied (with the leadership review). And I know that I have to support the confidence of the members of the People’s Party,” he told the Western Standard in an interview.
“What I’m a little bit disappointed in is the participation rate.”
Bernier mused the lower turnout could be attributed to members who signed up, for example, during the COVID-19 era, who had particular concerns at the time, but now those concerns don’t seem so pressing.
“Maybe that means that our members are not so concerned about that and didn’t want to participate,” he said.
