No free ride for Liberals during Tory leader race

SCHEER SPEECH

OTTAWA • Conser vative Leader Andrew Scheer sought Friday to put the Liberals on notice that despite the Tory leadership race, the Official Opposition won’t rest.

Scheer wished all the candidates well, but said given the Liberals’ minority government, his caucus needs to stay sharp.

“The Trudeau Liberals might think that our leadership race will give them a free ride,” he said, in a speech to Tory MPS and senators before the House of Commons sits again Monday.

“They’re wrong. We’re all going to continue to be here in Ottawa, in the House of Commons, and on the committee floor every single day fighting for our vision for the country.”

The meeting of the Conservative caucus came on the heels of a similar gathering of Liberal MPS, who were exhorted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to play nice with their opponents.

Scheer offered no similar pitch. He accused the Liberals of using their upcoming budget to buy votes from the Bloc Québécois and NDP, and attacked a planned Liberal bill banning military-style assault rifles.

Though Scheer may wish to focus his MPS and senators on the return of the Commons, the ongoing leadership contest does run up against those plans.

Former MP and cabinet minister Peter Mackay will formally unveil his campaign on Saturday, just as Scheer is wrapping the last day of his session with MPS.

Meanwhile, current MP Erin O’toole is also expected to launch his bid in the coming days. Foreign policy is expected to be a hot- button issue, with the Liberals facing heat on China and on relations with Iran. O’toole has been the party’s critic on the file for years, but will now have to vacate the post to follow his leadership ambitions.

Pierre Poilievre, the Tory finance critic, said Thursday that he’s not running for the leadership.

Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who has not ruled out running, said she is growing frustrated that the debate around the leadership race seems to be ignoring the western branch of the party. Too much time has been spent talking about whether a leader ought to speak French, and how winning Quebec or Ontario is central, she said.

So far, Alberta-based businessman Rick Peterson is the only declared candidate from west of Ontario. Former Edmonton MP and interim party leader Rona Ambrose announced she won’t run.

Meanwhile, the party continued to grapple with the fallout from comments from one potential contender this week. Quebec’s Richard Décarie drew condemnation after he said he believes being LGBTQ is a choice.

Candidates have until Feb. 27 to submit the first $ 25,000 of the $ 300,000 total entry fee and the first third of the 3,000 signatures required to enter.