Arrested Canadian leader's stark warning to US on big government: 'You cannot take your freedoms for granted'

Leader of the People's Party of Canada Maxime Bernier issued a stark warning to Americans last week concerning the "massive overreach" of government in implementing restrictions on the everyday lives of citizens in order to fight the pandemic.

Leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC) and former member of the Canadian Parliament Maxime Bernier issued a stark warning to Americans concerning the "massive overreach" of government in implementing restrictions on the everyday lives of citizens in order to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Bernier told a cautionary tale of his arrest while attempting to speak out against the "authoritarian" Canadian government headed by Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Justin Trudeau.

When asked about what some have described as a heavy-handed response by governments of countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand in attempts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Bernier detailed restrictions he and his fellow Québécois were forced to endure throughout the height of the pandemic, including curfews between 8:00 p.m.

Leader of the People's Party Canada Maxime Bernier speaks to Fox News' Brandon Gillespie about coronavirus restrictions across Canada.

"Now, after more than a year-and-a-half, it's still the same," the 58-year-old Bernier said before stating he chose not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus because he felt his chances of dying from it were low.

"Here in Quebec right now you have a vaccine passport.

And for me, I won't be able to travel across the country inside Canada, by plane or by train because I don't have the vaccine passport.".

According to Travelweek, a Canadian travel news outlet, the Canadian government's planned rollout of a national vaccine passport is planned for the fall, but may be delayed past October.

Bernier told the story of his June arrest in the central Canadian province of Manitoba as he attempted to hold rallies against coronavirus restrictions across the country.

He claimed that because the PPC was the only political party in Canada speaking out against coronavirus restrictions, he felt it necessary to begin campaigning before the start of the official campaign season ahead of September's federal election, which lasts between 36 to 50 days before election day. .

People's Party of Canada (PPC) supporters protest after leader Maxime Bernier was not invited to the two federal election debates held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, September 9, 2021.

"I was arrested, handcuffed, and put in jail for a non-crime after a political gathering for about 12 hours," Bernier said.

People's Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier speaks after the announcement of federal election results in Beauceville, Quebec, Canada October 21, 2019.

He also expressed concern over how he would travel to his court date considering he would be unable to take a train or plane within Canada once the government implements a national vaccine passport requirement.

It was very difficult for me as the leader of a national party to be in the mainstream national media because they didn't like what I was saying," he said

Supporters of the right-wing People's Party of Canada (PPC) attend a protest rally outside the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 16, 2021

What happened in Canada with the vaccine passport, mandatory vaccine passports in Quebec, in Ontario and in other provinces, can also happen in different states," Bernier added