A dragon, a marijuana activist and a former Tory MP who backed maverick MP Maxime Bernier's leadership campaign are now throwing their weight behind his fledgling new political party.

Maxime Bernier claimed on Wednesday, September 5, 2018, that he has raised more than $90,000 for his new political venture and says the party he intends to lead will be in place by the time his political rivals return to Ottawa.

In the past, public health campaigns warning of the harmful effects of drugs delivered one resounding message: Don't do it.

Maxime Bernier's closest caucus ally says he has no plans to join the renegade Quebec MP's new party.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer's attempt to defend a controversial policy which seeks to end birthright citizenship isn't sitting well with refugee advocates who say the policy could lead to stateless children.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was under mounting pressure to denounce Maxime Bernier's public statements and kick him out of caucus on on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, after the maverick MP used his Twitter feed to renew a sustained attack on "extreme Liberal multiculturalism."

Finance Minister Bill Morneau doubled down on Tuesday, August 7, 2018, on Ottawa's message that the federal government will continue to stand up for Canadian values even as it finds itself at the centre of an ongoing diplomatic tumult with Saudi Arabia.

While Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa will wait to hear more details from Saudi Arabia before responding to the country's decision to freeze new trade deals and expel Canada's ambassador, she defended Canada's position, insisting Ottawa will always stand up for human rights.

Conservative MP Maxime Bernier says he's the only politician in Ottawa who supports truly free trade with the U.S., and while it's not his role to negotiate NAFTA with U.S. President Donald Trump, he thinks it's "sad" he's the only one who wants to put supply management on the trading table.

Lisa MacLeod, Ontario's minister responsible for immigration, says the province is asking the federal government for $200 million to cover the cost of asylum seekers from the United States.