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“The Conservative Party has abandoned conservatives. It does not represent them anymore. And it has nothing of substance to offer Canadians looking for a political alternative.”

Photo by Jacques Boissinot/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Scheer, who is in Halifax for the start of the Conservative policy convention, has a news conference of his own scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET.

Bernier’s decision comes just as the Conservative policy convention is getting underway in Halifax and follows months of turmoil — much of it fomented on Twitter — between himself, Scheer and many Conservative MPs who felt he was jeopardizing their chances in the next election.

Bernier’s insistence on ending supply management, in defiance of Conservative policy, and his recent reflections about the perils of “extreme multiculturalism” had Scheer distancing himself from Bernier and his comments.

Alberta MP and immigration critic Michelle Rempel all but challenged Bernier to pick a side earlier this week.

On Thursday, he did just that.

“Do we want to emphasize our ethnic and religious differences, and exploit them to buy votes, as the Liberals are doing? Or emphasize what unites us and the values that can guarantee social cohesion?” he said, accusing the party of fearing a backlash over opposing immigration.

“Instead of leading the debate and pushing back against all the unfair accusations, Andrew Scheer chose to avoid the controversy. He and several of my colleagues disavowed me. They are so afraid of criticism by the left and the media that they prefer to let down millions of supporters across the country who would like us to tackle this issue.”