Andrew James Scheer PC MP (born 20 May 1979) is a Canadian politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. He is Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Official Opposition since 2017.
Elected to the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle at the age of 25, Scheer was re-elected in 2006, 2008, and 2011 before becoming the Speaker of the House of Commons at age 32, making him the youngest Speaker in the chamber's history.[1][2] He held the speaker role for the entirety of the 41st Canadian Parliament. On 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, running under the slogan "Real conservative. Real leader."[3]
Scheer has described himself as focused on economic development, fiscal restraint, and reducing inefficiencies in government.[4][5] A staunch opponent of the federal carbon tax, he has stated that he would balance the federal budget within two years of forming a government and open up the airline industry to foreign competition.[6][7][8] Scheer has been likened to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[9][10][11] On 27 May 2017, he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Early life and career
Scheer was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Mary Gerarda Therese (Enright), a nurse, and James D. Scheer[13] ("Jim"[14]), a librarian, proofreader, and Roman Catholic deacon.[15][16] According to a 2019 Maclean's article Scheer's family would have earned considerably more than the median income for most Canadian Families.[17] Scheer has two sisters.[18] Part of Scheer's family is from Romania.[19][20] Scheer spent summers in his youth with his maternal grandparents in Mississauga.[21]
Scheer graduated from Immaculata High School (later receiving the "Distinguished Catholic Alumni" award for it in 2012[22]) and then studied history at the University of Ottawa. While a student, Scheer worked on several political campaigns, including the Unite the Right campaign to merge the Progressive Conservative and Reform parties and Preston Manning's campaign to lead the Canadian Alliance. He also worked in the correspondence department of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition under Stockwell Day.[15][23] Scheer also worked on Ottawa city councillor Karin Howard's youth advisory committee.
Scheer ran as a school trustee for the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board in the 2000 Ottawa municipal elections,[24] but lost to incumbent Kathy Ablett.[25]
After meeting his future wife Jill Ryan at university, Scheer moved to her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, and finished his BA at the University of Regina. In Regina, Scheer worked as an insurance broker, a waiter, and in the constituency office of Canadian Alliance MP Larry Spencer.[26][15]
Political career
First years in the House of Commons
Scheer was elected at age 25 as a Conservative candidate in the federal election of 2004, in the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle, beating New Democratic Party MP Lorne Nystrom—the longest-serving member of the House of Commons at the time—by 861 votes.[1] Near the end of the race, Scheer accused Nystrom of being soft on child pornography.[27] He was re-elected in the federal election of 2006, once again defeating Nystrom, this time by a margin of 2,740 votes.[28]
In April 2006, during the 39th Canadian Parliament, Scheer was named as Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, one of three deputy speakers and one of the youngest Members of Parliament to serve in that role in Commonwealth history. Also, he sponsored a bill that would create minimum sentences for those convicted of motor vehicle theft called Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft),[29]
On 21 November 2008, during the 40th Canadian Parliament, he was named Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Committees of the Whole, succeeding New Democrat MP Bill Blaikie.[30]
Speaker of the House of Commons
When the Conservative Party won a majority at the federal election in 2011, Scheer's experience as Deputy Speaker led many to consider him the front-runner to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons.[2][31] On 2 June 2011, Scheer defeated Denise Savoie, the lone opposition candidate and only woman in the sixth round of balloting. Scheer became the youngest House Speaker in Canadian history and the first speaker to represent a Saskatchewan riding.[32] Liberal MPs, who opposed Scheer's candidacy, criticized the NDP for voting for their own party member instead of tipping the balance toward Conservative MP Lee Richardson based on the MPs' beliefs that Scheer was "Harper's Boy".[33]
During his tenure, some individual opposition MPs were critical of some of his decisions. Liberal MP Irwin Cotler questioned his impartiality due to a decision over a robocall incident with Campaign Research (it was reported that Scheer was a client of the firm).[34] NDP Leader Tom Mulcair criticized him for failing to intervene with Conservative MP Paul Calandra, who failed to answer Mulcair's questions during Question Period and instead responded with non-sequiturs about supporting Israel.[35] In addition, journalists pointed out there were similar incidents with his treatment of other opposition politicians.[36] Scheer responded by stating that previous Speakers have ruled that they have no authority over the content of what politicians say, and he is bound by that precedent.[37][38]
During the 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal, opposition politicians raised concerns over Scheer's interventions to block questions after The Globe and Mail revealed that his riding association loaned $3,000 to Marty Burke while Burke's campaign was under scrutiny by Elections Canada over the incident.[39]
After 2015
Scheer was re-elected in the 2015 federal election in which the Conservative government was defeated.[40] He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons by Leader of the Official Opposition and interim Conservative party leader Rona Ambrose. He thought about running for the position of interim Party Leader but was dissuaded by fellow caucus MP Chris Warkentin, who pointed out that the interim leader cannot take the permanent position.[41] On 13 September 2016, he announced his resignation outside a party caucus meeting in Halifax in order to explore a bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.[42]
2017 leadership election
n 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and that he had the support of 32 members of the Conservative caucus.[3][43] On 27 May 2017, Scheer was elected as the second full-time leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, beating runner up Maxime Bernier and more than 12 others with 50.95% of the vote through 13 rounds.[12] Bernier later attributed his failure to the "fake conservatives" in the supply management dairy lobby and agricultural sector. In fact, Scheer garnered laughs at the annual Press Gallery dinner with this gag:[44]
“ I certainly don't owe my leadership victory to anybody...", stopping in mid-sentence to take a swig of 2% milk from the carton. "It's a high quality drink and it's affordable too. ”
During the race, Scheer did not personally attend the Campaign Life Coalition's March for Life but sent Garnett Genuis to show his support for the group and make statement on his behalf.[45] Scheer benefited from the unexpected support of Brad Trost during the leadership race. It was reported that some of Trost supporters contravened the Elections Act and party membership rules by offering incentives to vote. Dimitri Soudas, a former Stephen Harper aide, pointed out that it violated election rules and it benefited Scheer's campaign but the ballots had been destroyed so the result stood
Scheer was criticized by opposition politicians for removing his campaign platform after winning the Conservative leadership race.[47][48] Tory strategists suggested that the ideas proposed by Scheer during the race likely won't be part of the Tories 2019 election platform.[49] It was later revealed in a Dairy Farmers of Canada briefing document after the 2018 Conservative Convention in Halifax that “The powers of the leader are far reaching in preventing policy from being in the party platform. DFC [Dairy Farmers of Canada] has been told by the Leader’s office that he will exercise this power, and that this policy will not be in the Conservative election platform regardless of the outcome at convention,”.[50]
The day after the election it was revealed that Hamish Marshall, Scheer's campaign manager, was listed as an IT specialist and one of the directors of the far right news outlet The Rebel Media.[51][52][53] On 16 October 2017, The Globe and Mail asked Scheer if he knew that Marshall worked for the Rebel during the leadership campaign, he responded: "I didn't ask Hamish about every client he had" and then ended the interview. Later, a conservative spokesperson clarified that Scheer was aware that the Rebel was one of Marshall's many clients, but did not know the specifics.[54][55] The day after, Marshall was named Conservative campaign chair for the 43rd Canadian federal election.[56] On 21 March 2018, in an interview with Macleans, Scheer stated that Marshall and his past relationship with the Rebel should not be conflated with his selection as campaign chair.[57]
Leader of the Official Opposition
After the Charlottesville, Virginia "Unite the Right" rally, Scheer denounced The Rebel Media due to its sympathetic coverage of the rally,[58] and stated that he would stop doing interviews with The Rebel Media until its "editorial directions" changed.[59] The day after Scheer stated that he would not be granting interview with the Rebel going forward in an interview with the National Post.[60]
On 4 January 2018, he expelled Senator Lynn Beyak from the conservative caucus, after she refused to remove one of her letters that suggested Indigenous people want to get things for "no effort". He also stated that "Racism will not be tolerated in the Conservative caucus or Conservative Party of Canada".[61] Scheer said that his office was only aware of the letters on 2 January, but Garnet Angeconeb, a residential school survivor, stated that he emailed Scheer and Conservative Senate Leader Larry Smith about them on 15 September 2017, and did not get a response.[62] In response, Beyak said neither Scheer nor anyone from his office contacted her to take down a letter.[63] A senior Conservative source confirmed Beyak's accusation
Elected to the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle at the age of 25, Scheer was re-elected in 2006, 2008, and 2011 before becoming the Speaker of the House of Commons at age 32, making him the youngest Speaker in the chamber's history.[1][2] He held the speaker role for the entirety of the 41st Canadian Parliament. On 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, running under the slogan "Real conservative. Real leader."[3]
Scheer has described himself as focused on economic development, fiscal restraint, and reducing inefficiencies in government.[4][5] A staunch opponent of the federal carbon tax, he has stated that he would balance the federal budget within two years of forming a government and open up the airline industry to foreign competition.[6][7][8] Scheer has been likened to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[9][10][11] On 27 May 2017, he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Early life and career
Scheer was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Mary Gerarda Therese (Enright), a nurse, and James D. Scheer[13] ("Jim"[14]), a librarian, proofreader, and Roman Catholic deacon.[15][16] According to a 2019 Maclean's article Scheer's family would have earned considerably more than the median income for most Canadian Families.[17] Scheer has two sisters.[18] Part of Scheer's family is from Romania.[19][20] Scheer spent summers in his youth with his maternal grandparents in Mississauga.[21]
Scheer graduated from Immaculata High School (later receiving the "Distinguished Catholic Alumni" award for it in 2012[22]) and then studied history at the University of Ottawa. While a student, Scheer worked on several political campaigns, including the Unite the Right campaign to merge the Progressive Conservative and Reform parties and Preston Manning's campaign to lead the Canadian Alliance. He also worked in the correspondence department of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition under Stockwell Day.[15][23] Scheer also worked on Ottawa city councillor Karin Howard's youth advisory committee.
Scheer ran as a school trustee for the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board in the 2000 Ottawa municipal elections,[24] but lost to incumbent Kathy Ablett.[25]
After meeting his future wife Jill Ryan at university, Scheer moved to her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, and finished his BA at the University of Regina. In Regina, Scheer worked as an insurance broker, a waiter, and in the constituency office of Canadian Alliance MP Larry Spencer.[26][15]
Political career
First years in the House of Commons
Scheer was elected at age 25 as a Conservative candidate in the federal election of 2004, in the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle, beating New Democratic Party MP Lorne Nystrom—the longest-serving member of the House of Commons at the time—by 861 votes.[1] Near the end of the race, Scheer accused Nystrom of being soft on child pornography.[27] He was re-elected in the federal election of 2006, once again defeating Nystrom, this time by a margin of 2,740 votes.[28]
In April 2006, during the 39th Canadian Parliament, Scheer was named as Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, one of three deputy speakers and one of the youngest Members of Parliament to serve in that role in Commonwealth history. Also, he sponsored a bill that would create minimum sentences for those convicted of motor vehicle theft called Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (motor vehicle theft),[29]
On 21 November 2008, during the 40th Canadian Parliament, he was named Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Committees of the Whole, succeeding New Democrat MP Bill Blaikie.[30]
Speaker of the House of Commons
When the Conservative Party won a majority at the federal election in 2011, Scheer's experience as Deputy Speaker led many to consider him the front-runner to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons.[2][31] On 2 June 2011, Scheer defeated Denise Savoie, the lone opposition candidate and only woman in the sixth round of balloting. Scheer became the youngest House Speaker in Canadian history and the first speaker to represent a Saskatchewan riding.[32] Liberal MPs, who opposed Scheer's candidacy, criticized the NDP for voting for their own party member instead of tipping the balance toward Conservative MP Lee Richardson based on the MPs' beliefs that Scheer was "Harper's Boy".[33]
During his tenure, some individual opposition MPs were critical of some of his decisions. Liberal MP Irwin Cotler questioned his impartiality due to a decision over a robocall incident with Campaign Research (it was reported that Scheer was a client of the firm).[34] NDP Leader Tom Mulcair criticized him for failing to intervene with Conservative MP Paul Calandra, who failed to answer Mulcair's questions during Question Period and instead responded with non-sequiturs about supporting Israel.[35] In addition, journalists pointed out there were similar incidents with his treatment of other opposition politicians.[36] Scheer responded by stating that previous Speakers have ruled that they have no authority over the content of what politicians say, and he is bound by that precedent.[37][38]
During the 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal, opposition politicians raised concerns over Scheer's interventions to block questions after The Globe and Mail revealed that his riding association loaned $3,000 to Marty Burke while Burke's campaign was under scrutiny by Elections Canada over the incident.[39]
After 2015
Scheer was re-elected in the 2015 federal election in which the Conservative government was defeated.[40] He was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons by Leader of the Official Opposition and interim Conservative party leader Rona Ambrose. He thought about running for the position of interim Party Leader but was dissuaded by fellow caucus MP Chris Warkentin, who pointed out that the interim leader cannot take the permanent position.[41] On 13 September 2016, he announced his resignation outside a party caucus meeting in Halifax in order to explore a bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.[42]
2017 leadership election
n 28 September 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and that he had the support of 32 members of the Conservative caucus.[3][43] On 27 May 2017, Scheer was elected as the second full-time leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, beating runner up Maxime Bernier and more than 12 others with 50.95% of the vote through 13 rounds.[12] Bernier later attributed his failure to the "fake conservatives" in the supply management dairy lobby and agricultural sector. In fact, Scheer garnered laughs at the annual Press Gallery dinner with this gag:[44]
“ I certainly don't owe my leadership victory to anybody...", stopping in mid-sentence to take a swig of 2% milk from the carton. "It's a high quality drink and it's affordable too. ”
During the race, Scheer did not personally attend the Campaign Life Coalition's March for Life but sent Garnett Genuis to show his support for the group and make statement on his behalf.[45] Scheer benefited from the unexpected support of Brad Trost during the leadership race. It was reported that some of Trost supporters contravened the Elections Act and party membership rules by offering incentives to vote. Dimitri Soudas, a former Stephen Harper aide, pointed out that it violated election rules and it benefited Scheer's campaign but the ballots had been destroyed so the result stood
Scheer was criticized by opposition politicians for removing his campaign platform after winning the Conservative leadership race.[47][48] Tory strategists suggested that the ideas proposed by Scheer during the race likely won't be part of the Tories 2019 election platform.[49] It was later revealed in a Dairy Farmers of Canada briefing document after the 2018 Conservative Convention in Halifax that “The powers of the leader are far reaching in preventing policy from being in the party platform. DFC [Dairy Farmers of Canada] has been told by the Leader’s office that he will exercise this power, and that this policy will not be in the Conservative election platform regardless of the outcome at convention,”.[50]
The day after the election it was revealed that Hamish Marshall, Scheer's campaign manager, was listed as an IT specialist and one of the directors of the far right news outlet The Rebel Media.[51][52][53] On 16 October 2017, The Globe and Mail asked Scheer if he knew that Marshall worked for the Rebel during the leadership campaign, he responded: "I didn't ask Hamish about every client he had" and then ended the interview. Later, a conservative spokesperson clarified that Scheer was aware that the Rebel was one of Marshall's many clients, but did not know the specifics.[54][55] The day after, Marshall was named Conservative campaign chair for the 43rd Canadian federal election.[56] On 21 March 2018, in an interview with Macleans, Scheer stated that Marshall and his past relationship with the Rebel should not be conflated with his selection as campaign chair.[57]
Leader of the Official Opposition
After the Charlottesville, Virginia "Unite the Right" rally, Scheer denounced The Rebel Media due to its sympathetic coverage of the rally,[58] and stated that he would stop doing interviews with The Rebel Media until its "editorial directions" changed.[59] The day after Scheer stated that he would not be granting interview with the Rebel going forward in an interview with the National Post.[60]
On 4 January 2018, he expelled Senator Lynn Beyak from the conservative caucus, after she refused to remove one of her letters that suggested Indigenous people want to get things for "no effort". He also stated that "Racism will not be tolerated in the Conservative caucus or Conservative Party of Canada".[61] Scheer said that his office was only aware of the letters on 2 January, but Garnet Angeconeb, a residential school survivor, stated that he emailed Scheer and Conservative Senate Leader Larry Smith about them on 15 September 2017, and did not get a response.[62] In response, Beyak said neither Scheer nor anyone from his office contacted her to take down a letter.[63] A senior Conservative source confirmed Beyak's accusation
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