Commons ex-Speaker joins Tory leader race
Andrew Scheer to campaign for low taxes, free markets and ‘strong families’ in bid
OTTAWA— Former Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer, a 37-year-old father of five, launched his candidacy for the Conservative party leadership Wednesday by promising not to reopen divisive issues like abortion or same-sex marriage.
Scheer, an affable Saskatchewan MP who is a fiscal and social conservative, made a show of the support he has already garnered from Conservative caucus members — 17 MPs and three senators.
Scheer staked out political markers, stressing party unity and his intention to run a campaign focused on “free markets, low taxes and strong families.”
He unveiled a slogan: “Real Conservative. Real Leader.”
Pressed to define what that means, Scheer said he would not reopen questions of abortion or same-sex marriage, stating the caucus and party have agreed those are settled.
But Scheer said he would not prevent MPs from making statements of support for those hot-button issues in the Commons, citing his own “wise” ruling in the past parliament.
A native of Ottawa, Scheer moved to Regina after getting married, went to work in real estate and portrayed himself as someone who can bridge the regions of the country.
And in what appeared to be a shot across the bow of some of his rivals, Scheer said Conservatives “don’t always win when we are united, but we always lose when we are divided.”
Asked directly to address Kellie Leitch’s suggestion that immigrants and refugee claimants should be screened for Canadian values, Scheer said it is neither practical nor preferable to “police what’s going on in people’s minds.”
He said the government should focus on dealing with security threats. He said when immigrants get here it’s a “good idea to have a conversation about the values that do make Canada great.”
He listed “our common law, our Westminster parliamentary system and fundamental principles of equality.”
But he said any debate around those values must maintain the Conservative party’s image as a “positive, welcoming, inclusive party” that accepts and welcomes the contributions of immigrants to Canada.
Scheer joins a race that will become more crowded when, as expected, GTA members of Parliament Erin O’Toole and Lisa Raitt join nine other MPs and unelected party members who have declared an interest in the top job.
Those include MPs Michael Chong, Maxime Bernier, Tony Clement, Leitch and Deepak Obhrai.
If all the would-be aspirants for the job do run, the field could number 16 candidates — a far cry from the last leadership race in 2004 which saw only three people enter the contest: Clement, businesswoman Belinda Stronach, and Stephen Harper who led the merger of the Canadian Alliance with then-Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay.
MacKay, who has a strong base of support among the so-called progressive Red Tory wing of the party, cited family reasons for not running.
The other presumptive front-runner would have been Calgary MP and social conservative standard-bearer Jason Kenney who has returned to Alberta to try to win the provincial PC party leadership, hoping to merge it with the Wildrose and unite the right at the provincial level.