Actually, I think he may be smarter than you think.
I'm guessing that he figures any publicity is good publicity. No-one would have even been aware that he was even in Manitoba. But get arrested by the RCMP? You can't buy that kind of publicity. Hell, I had no idea the guy was even still alive and now thanks to this I know not only is he still alive but he's still vying for political office.
In addition, last go round he was courting the whack job Conservative vote. The Canadian Trumpists if you will. I'm guessing he's going all in on that and there are a huge number of Canadians who are seriously fed up with masks and lockdowns and he figures he's going to tap into that.
Old Max is crazy like a fox.
Kinda like how most people assume Trump is a racist when if he thought it would be an easier path to the white house he would gladly be the center of an all Black and Mexican bukake or even a bukaka. Load after load in his face and down his throat for power.
Or how Bernie Sanders keeps pushing policy that he knows actual democratic socialists backed away from decades ago because they were counter productive.
Or maybe One Seat Max was always a closet lunatic, Trump actually gives a fuck about something other than himself and Bernie is so consumed by hate that he doesn't give a fuck.