A WIN FOR SCHEER

Tory leader vows independent campaign review

Leadership safe, for now

Conservative MPs decided Wednesday to leave Andrew Scheer’s fate to party members and not invoke their right to remove him as leader.

But the Conservative leader is promising an independent review from former cabinet minister John Baird to assess how the election campaign, which left the party on the opposition benches, was fought.

After a marathon caucus meeting behind closed doors, Scheer spoke to reporters with many MPs lined up behind him.

He said he wants answers from Baird as soon as possible, so the party can be prepared to wage the next election.

“Nobody is more disappointed in the results than me and nobody is more eager to get it right in the next election than me.”

It was theoretically possible for Conservative MPs to turf their leader at Wednesday’s caucus meeting, but a long procession of MPs publicly voiced their support for Scheer after last month’s election, which gave the Liberals a minority government.

Scheer said Baird’s review will focus on the structure and how decisions were made, but he said his leadership is a question for the party’s members. “The review as to the leadership position of the Conservative Party of Canada is — and always will be — in the hands of our members.”

Scheer will face a leadership review at the party’s convention in Toronto in April and is expected to go on a cross-country listening tour ahead of the vote to shore up support. He has been the leader since May 2017.

When asked about his views on social issues, Scheer said his party will respect the rights of all Canadians. He also remained steadfast in his opposition to a carbon tax.

“I have never known a problem that is solved by a new tax,” he said. “As long as I am leader of this party, our party will oppose a carbon tax.”

THE REVIEW AS TO THE LEADERSHIP POSITION … IS — AND ALWAYS WILL BE — IN THE HANDS OF OUR MEMBERS.

Although the Conservatives gained seats and beat Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party in the popular vote, it was a discouraging outcome for some members who felt that the scandal-plagued Trudeau had handed them a golden opportunity.

During the campaign, Scheer was criticized for not marching in Pride parades, and he fielded multiple days of questions about his views on abortion and same-sex marriage.

Former cabinet minister Peter MacKay told a Washington, D.C., panel on the Canadian election that the “stinking albatross” of social conservatism was what torpedoed the party’s election hopes. Although he later expressed support for Scheer, MacKay’s comments were interpreted by some supporters and critics as an opening salvo in a bid to topple the Conservative leader and spark a leadership contest.

On their way into the meeting, publicly at least, the MPs showed unanimous support for Scheer, although many expressed a desire for an “honest assessment” of the election.

Former Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, who lost her seat in Milton, Ont., to a Liberal challenger, told reporters she wanted to hear what happened in “every riding” before she started worrying about who to blame.

Manitoba MP Candice Bergen cautioned against “making changes just for the sake of making changes” and said she trusted the grassroots members of the party to make the right decision on the leader.

Some MPs were willing to name areas for improvement in the party’s electoral strategy. British Columbia MP Mark Strahl said he was curious why the party stumbled in urban areas in most of the country but not in his home province.

Alberta MP Michelle Rempel said the Conservatives failed to connect on social issues during the campaign and said the party could be more vocally in support of the LGBT community.

Rempel said the Trudeau Liberals say all the right things but don’t back it up with action, which could leave an opening for the Conservatives.

“A lot of Justin Trudeau’s actions have been largely symbolic,” said Rempel. “We have to take action that is more than symbolism.”

Rempel said that would take the focus off whether politicians march in Pride parades and on to more substantive issues.

Conservatives will be taking note of a recent Angus Reid poll that showed the party divided on the issue of Scheer’s leadership. According to the pollster, 42 per cent of people who identified as Conservatives said Scheer should step down as leader, while 41 per cent said he should stay on and 17 per cent weren’t sure. Those numbers, if they are truly a reflection of how the party members feel about the leader, will be ominous for Scheer.

Conservatives are optimistic on at least one front, though. According to Angus Reid, three-quarters of the party’s members expect that the Liberal government will last fewer than two years.