AMBM President Ivan Normandeau, R.M. of Taché Mayor Justin Bohémier, Village of St. Pierre-Jolys Mayor Raymond Maynard and R.M. of De Salaberry Reeve Darrel Curé issued the following joint statement denouncing the series of rallies organized by Maxime Bernier on their territory starting today (June 11, 2021):

With 251 new cases and six deaths yesterday alone related to COVID-19, Manitoba is by far the province with the worst scenario in the country, in proportion to its population. It is in this deplorable context that the leader of the People’s Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier, begins his Mad Max Manitoba Tour today, which will include four of our municipalities: Winnipeg, Taché, St. Pierre-Jolys and De Salaberry.

We join with the Premier of Manitoba, the Honourable Brian Pallister, in telling Mr. Bernier that he is not welcome in Manitoba, in our bilingual municipalities and in our Francophone communities.

Maxime Bernier is known as a specialist in over-interpretation of facts and association of dubious ideas. In times of crisis, he chooses to capitalize on people’s fear and desperation for political gain. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he has associated himself with groups opposing health measures, masking and vaccination. On his cross-country demonstration tour, he voluntarily confronts health regulations and accumulates fines for non-compliance with public health measures.

Maxime Bernier is adding to the crisis and its destructive consequences. He is part of the problem, not the solution. He is the perfect illustration of why the COVID-19 crisis has been prolonged in Canada while many countries around the world have the coronavirus under control and are reviving their economies.

In the end, Bernier’s goal is the same as all of us and all Canadians: to regain our rights and freedoms, to revive our economy, to be able to come together and embrace our loved ones. Unfortunately, he will have to rethink his tactics because he is doing everything he can to delay this return to normalcy.

As politicians, it is our duty to lead by example.

Since March 2020, our municipalities have teamed up with the appropriate authorities on public health and safety. We have collectively made tough choices to limit the loss of life, to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

We call on Mr. Bernier to change his tune instead of stoking division, fear and intransigence.

Along with the Province, we will take every step possible to enforce existing public health orders and apply the fines for violators.

The Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 15 local governments committed to providing services in both official languages to their citizens. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership is also at the helm of the AMBM Group, a consortium of three complementary organizations: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which has specialized in the green economy since 2008. These three complementary organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), including the French-speaking Métis.

Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, [email protected].