With Scheer, Tories can get straight to it

Canada’s Conservatives will have little problem rallying behind their new leader Andrew Scheer. This puts them in a good position to get back to work from Day 1, function as the official Opposition and gear up for the 2019 election.

Scheer deliberately chose not to run a divisive leadership campaign.

The Regina MP with the big grin and trademark dimples never lashed out at other candidates and avoided gratuitously provoking other camps.

None of his ideas are particularly out of step with rank-and-file Conservatives.

In contrast, many members had issues with Kellie Leitch’s immigration policies. Many more balked at Michael Chong’s carbon pricing approach and Maxime Bernier’s stance against Canada’s supply management system for milk, eggs and poultry likely cost him the leadership.

If any of these candidates had won, major efforts would have been needed to unify the party and reconcile differences.

Scheer however is likable and respected by caucus, but that’s not to say he’s bland.

His platform made it clear he’s an unapologetic defender of small government.

We like his promises to balance the budget, axe the carbon tax, take terrorism seriously and remove federal funding for universities that don’t embrace free speech.

And he believes Conservatives must collectively embrace the broadly held conservative views of Canadian voters on issues such as taxes, young offenders and border security, if the party wants to provide a winning alternative to Justin Trudeau’s debt-addicted Liberals.

“Fundamentally, I believe that the Conservative Party needs a leader who can keep the coalition together and that can communicate our policies in a more positive way that will reach a broader audience of Canadians,” Scheer said during an editorial board with Postmedia News.

Winning against Trudeau in 2019 isn’t a long shot.

While the Conservatives lost the last election, they weren’t obliterated. They won 99 seats, a third of which were new MPs. Their fundraising remains strong. This leadership race generated a lot of attention. And Trudeau’s tax-and-spend government is increasingly losing its lustre for many Canadians.

Andrew Scheer now needs to prove he can be an effective party leader and opposition leader.

As it stands though, the party is in a good place.