Maxime Bernier promotes Vancouver restaurant that flouted COVID-19 rules
People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier mingled with supporters this week at a Vancouver restaurant that made headlines for flouting COVID-19 public safety restrictions.
The controversial politician, who has repeatedly appeared at rallies pushing back against pandemic mitigation measures, despite the rising COVID-19 death toll, posted a series of pictures on social media Tuesday taken at Corduroy restaurant.
Corduroy was forced to close earlier this year, and subsequently had its business licence suspended, after owner Rebecca Matthews refused to follow B.C.'s temporary ban on indoor dining. She continued serving customers inside into early April, just as COVID-19 transmission was climbing to record levels in the province.
On Twitter, Bernier praised Matthews as "courageous" for defying "authoritarian lockdown orders."
"If you are in the Vancouver area, you have to visit Corduroy restaurant," he said.
B.C. health officials have credited their temporary restrictions, as well as increasing vaccinations, for getting COVID-19 cases under control. B.C.'s rolling weekly average for cases has fallen from a record of 1,130 per day two months ago down to 175 as of Tuesday.
Back in April, Bernier was among hundreds of protesters who rallied outside the Alberta legislature to call for the province to fully reopen and end COVID-19 rules.
The group also chanted "lock her up" in reference to Alberta's chief medical officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
Premier Jason Kenney responded to the event in a Twitter thread, writing that it is "increasingly clear that many involved in these protests are unhinged conspiracy theorists."
With files from CTV News Edmonton
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.