Maxime Bernier to plead not guilty

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This article was published 27/02/2022 (1186 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lawyer for People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier will enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client to charges of violating public health orders related to COVID-19.

Alex Steigerwald appeared by phone in St Pierre court on Tuesday to request the case be transferred to Winnipeg in anticipation of a “lengthy” trial. Courtrooms in Winnipeg can secure timely trial dates and are more accommodating to the public who may be interested in the case, Steigerwald told Judge Alain Huberdeau.

Bernier is fighting charges he accrued in June while on tour of southeast Manitoba rallying against pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates.

After holding two gatherings in contravention of public health orders in Niverville and St Pierre and failing to isolate upon arriving in the province the federal party leader was arrested by RCMP while en route to the third stop on his “Mad Max Manitoba” tour. He was released on $1,000 bail later that evening.

Crown attorney Valerie Hebert and Steigerwald requested the move in solidarity citing the larger public interest of the case outweighs the community’s interest in the matter.

Huberdeau agreed to move the case to the larger jurisdiction, saying St Pierre’s small court room would be “difficult, if not impossible” to accommodate a possible crowd of spectators for the four to five day trial.

The case will appear in St Pierre court one last time on March 22 before being transferred to a court room at 408 York Ave in Winnipeg, yet to be determined.