One of the key themes of the event, and from the PPC in general, is a move to broaden the definition of what freedom of speech means.

For instance, the PPC's website says they'd like to repeal bill C-16, which amended the Human Rights Act to ban discrimination against people based on gender identity or expression.

"[Bill C-16 is] part of a trend to force Canadians to express support for the existence of various gender identities beyond the biological categories of male and female, and to use pronouns demanded by those who identify with these other genders," says the PPC site.

Paralovos says he's willing to speak with anyone who disagrees with the PPC's policies one-on-on, but that he won't debate a crowd.

He says that people are afraid to have conversations about immigration, because of the political backlash that comes from it.

"People are weaponizing conversations about immigration," he says.

He encouraged anyone with concern about the parties believes to reach out to him via email.

"I'm open to discussion with anybody, but I won't debate a rally. I won't debate a crowd of people who are threatening me. It doesn't make sense," he says.

Bernier and the PPC have raised the ire of Canadians after posing with members of organizations believed to be promoting hate, and being praised by white nationalists.

Recently, five members of the PPC's Winnipeg board quit, publishing a letter saying the party had become a haven for “racists, bigots, anti-Semites, and conspiracy theorists..."

When asked how he would prevent this thing from happening in other ridings, Bernier says that people who know him know he's not a racist.

"And everybody who knows me, they know what I believe in and I don't have to explain myself and justify that I'm not a racist," he says.

When asked why the PPC members in Winnipeg quit, Bernier said to ask them.

During the event, several PPC candidates from nearby ridings said they had been discriminated against for their allegiance to the party.

Paralovos says he isn't worried about tarnishing his reputation by associating with the party, despite the Winnipeg members claims.

He says the PPC isn't a racist party, and that their stance on reducing immigration is based on overcrowding and a lack of opportunities for people already in Canada.

"When people come to Canada, I want them to know that there's opportunities again. And if we flood Canada with too many people, then we don't have the infrastructure to handle those people," Paralovos says.

During the event, Bernier said he wants to see immigration levels return to what they were under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

He also spoke about wanting to remove Canada's supply management policy on poultry, dairy and eggs, which he says is a "cartel."

Bernier says the party will take no stance on climate change, as he doesn't believe humans are playing a "significant role" in the ecological events wreaking havoc throughout the world.

He also said he wants to see a "mixed universal" (aka two-tiered) healthcare system put in place, which allows for privatization in the industry. However, he says the plan is to give GST revenue directly to the provinces, and let them figure it out.

When asked what his stance on abortion would be, Bernier said the party wouldn't have an official stance, but would allow MPs to table bills for debate.

"We're the only party that's even willing to talk about this," says Paralovos. "We're hungry for the conversation."

Just over 60 people attended the event.

Editor's note: On July 22, a quote in the original publication of this story was removed. The quote was attributed to a PPC riding candidate but the source was not named. The Mercury Tribune will only quote unnamed sources in rare circumstances, usually when the safety of a source would be at risk if their name were to be published. A lengthy sidebar explanation as to why the Mercury Tribune chose to cover this event was also removed from the original online story. In its place, a line was added to the third paragraph explaining why the Mercury Tribune agreed to not publish the location of gathering. The sidebar was removed and the line was added for the sake of clarity and to outline the stance this paper took in this unique situation.