Maxime Bernier to plead not guilty

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This article was published 21/02/2022 (1039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier will plead not guilty to violating COVID-19 restrictions during a trip to Manitoba last June, a court heard Tuesday.

Bernier, who was not present for the hearing in St. Pierre-Jolys, was charged with breaching requirements he self-isolate after entering Manitoba and exceeding public gathering limits. Prior to his arrest, Bernier spoke at anti-mask and anti-restriction rallies in Niverville and St. Pierre-Jolys.

Alex Steigerwald, Bernier’s lawyer, told provincial court Judge Alain Huberdeau he has been in talks with the Crown to secure trial dates for the offences and requested the matter be transferred to Winnipeg.

“It is anticipated… that we will be able to obtain earlier trial dates for this matter (if it is transferred),” Steigerwald said.

The trial is expected to run four to five days and require enhanced security measures “given the number of people that are interested in the matter,” said Crown attorney Valerie Hebert.

Trials are normally held in the jurisdiction in which the offences are alleged to have occurred.

“In the Crown’s view, there would be some community interest in the matter, but I feel (those interests) would be outweighed by the concerns we have outlined,” Hebert said.

Huberdeau agreed to transfer the trial to Winnipeg, saying it would be “difficult, if not impossible to accommodate it” in St. Pierre-Jolys, given the expected public interest and the town’s small courtrooms.

With a trial yet to be set, the case will remain on the St. Pierre-Jolys court docket until its next date, March 22.