In promoting his CBC/Radio-Canada policy Thursday on the Quebec radio station FM93, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier said he would not prioritize talk shows like Radio-Canada’s popular Tout Le Monde En Parle — leading the show’s host to call him an “idiot” on social media.

Bernier and host Guy Lepage continued to have it out Friday on Twitter.

The feud began after Bernier released his policy proposal for the future of CBC/Radio-Canada on Wednesday, and then took to the airwaves to explain it further Thursday morning.

If he had his way, talk shows like Tout Le Monde En Parle — a popular Quebec television program — wouldn’t be a priority for Radio-Canada, Bernier told FM93, because private competitors, like TVA, already offer that kind of programming.

The show has been broadcast on Télévision de Radio-Canada/Ici Radio-Canada Télé since 2004 and is watched by over 1.3 million Quebecers every Sunday.

When FM93 host Sylvain Bouchard pressed Bernier on whether Tout Le Monde En Parle would be scrapped under his leadership or if there’s still room for those kind of shows in the Quebec MP’s vision for the public broadcaster, Bernier stepped lightly.

“Maybe … it’s difficult to say,” he said in French.

Bernier said he’s not the production director and doesn’t want to “interfere” in the broadcaster’s day-to-day operations. He’s thinking more about the big picture, he said, and wants Radio-Canada to be more “neutral” in its news coverage.

Lepage took to Twitter Thursday morning to call Bernier out. He also tweeted that the Tory leadership candidate needs to learn the difference between public and state television, and invited him on Tout Le Monde En Parle to discuss the issue.

:)))))) quel zouf ! https://t.co/qp2PFkCkyU — Guy A Lepage (@guyalepage) November 24, 2016

Il faudrait expliquer à @MaximeBernier la différence entre télé publique et télé d’état. Je l’invite à #tlmep pour lui donner un cours. — Guy A Lepage (@guyalepage) November 24, 2016

There’s no exact English translation for the word “zouf” but the word implies someone who is not intelligent and who makes a scene in the media.

Lepage also tweeted that Bernier continues to refuse invitations to appear on Tout Le Monde En Parle.

Bernier shot back in a series of tweets hours later, saying Lepage’s comments are not ones the host of an objective public network should be making and that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for Lepage’s “political opinions and contemptuous remarks.”

1) Voir le genre de propos qui n’a pas sa place de la part d’un animateur vedette sur une chaîne publique objective et de qualité. pic.twitter.com/zLzvX9BJ0X — Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) November 24, 2016

2) Les contribuables ne devraient pas être forcés de financer les opinions politiques et les propos méprisants de @GuyALepage — Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) November 24, 2016

3) Radio-Canada/CBC devra faire preuve d’une objectivité exemplaire si elle veut garder sa légitimité comme radiodiffuseur public. #polcan — Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) November 24, 2016

Bernier tweeted at Lepage again Friday morning, linking to a Canadaland piece about a group of former CBC executives and producers who are calling for an ad-free public broadcaster — which is what Bernier is proposing as well.

“They’re all idiots?” Bernier tweeted.

.@GuyALepage tous des « zoufs » ? “Former CBC Execs, Journalists, Academics and Politicians Call For An Ad-Free CBC” https://t.co/ZEJTOOtNmr — Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) November 25, 2016

Before this all went down, when Bernier was asked by a reporter Wednesday which CBC/Radio-Canada programs he ranked among his favourites, he mentioned This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Tout Le Monde En Parle.

With files from Beatrice Britneff