OTTAWA — Quebec MP Maxime Bernier says the controversial book chapter that cost him his job in the Conservative shadow cabinet has been available on his website for weeks.
A tweet from Bernier, which followed his unceremonious removal Tuesday as the party's innovation critic, suggests he doesn't understand why he lost his portfolio.
But Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and several fellow Tories say it's because Bernier broke his promise to the party's caucus members to stop promoting the book, something Scheer says he considers a serious breach.
A number of Tory MPs say they are puzzled and disappointed by Bernier's provocative move, but still believe he has a role in the party's caucus.
In his tweet, Bernier says the only reason he put it on his website was because the original publisher — the book's release has been postponed indefinitely — took it down from theirs.
The chapter says Bernier lost the Tory leadership to Scheer last year because of "fake Conservatives" who joined the party solely to oppose his central promise: dismantling the supply management system for dairy, chicken and eggs.
