Commentary One of the key strengths of Stephen Harper was that he understood the diversity of thought in the big tent that made up his party and knew what he had to do to navigate the divisive landscape of politics to remain relevant. Conversely, not understanding the diversity in the conservative camp and the numbers required for winning an election is a major flaw of People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Leader Maxime Bernier. In any given election, 60 to 70 percent of the votes go to progressive parties. Considering that to win an election a conservative party needs a minimum of 35 percent of total votes, and assuming total votes of 40 percent up for grabs by the conservatives, there will only be 5 percent that can be carved off by splinter parties cannibalizing the conservative vote. Any push encroaching on that margin only harms prospects of a conservative win. …