Top Conservatives brief caucus on Scheer’s leadership vote numbers, MPs say they’re now satisfied, Bernier didn’t ask any questions
Conservative MPs say last week’s potentially explosive controversy around newly elected leader Andrew Scheer’s leadership vote numbers is no longer a problem after two top Conservatives briefed the national Conservative caucus on June 7. Conservative MPs also say Dustin Van Vugt, executive director of the Conservative Party, and Derek Vanstone, deputy chief returning officer for […]
Political consequences of interim measures: B.C. election, Kinder-Morgan Pipeline and federal environmental assessment reform
TORONTO—One of the defining features of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s approach to environmental matters was the dramatic streamlining of the federal environmental review and approval processes for energy and other resource projects through his 2012 budget implementation legislation, Bill C-38. The rewriting of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the other changes contained in […]
Scheer campaign aides taking senior roles in Conservative OLO, though most of old team remains
With Andrew Scheer now leader of the official opposition Conservative Party, a big question mark is hovering over staffing in the OLO and the Conservative Research Group, but some members of his leadership campaign team had already moved into the OLO last week. Mr. Scheer was elected the new Conservative Party leader in Toronto on May 27, in a […]
Handling Conservative caucus Scheer’s ‘key battleground for party unity’: Pollster Lyle
New Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is expected to wait until some time after the House has risen for the summer before announcing his shadow cabinet, and how he handles this and other caucus issues stand to be a major test of his ability to instil party unity. “He’s approaching the transition as he should, very […]
Scheer’s social conservatism obvious target, but Liberals to lay off new leader at onset: insiders
Liberal Party veterans say new Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s reputation as a social conservative is an obvious target for politicking from the Justin Trudeau government, but some say the party in power is likely to avoid being overly aggressive against the new leader for the time-being. Reasons include not being sure, exactly, what direction Mr. […]
‘Surprise’ support for social conservatives Trost, Lemieux helped secure Scheer’s leadership win
Despite flying under the radar in the packed Conservative leadership race, Conservative MP Brad Trost and former MP Pierre Lemieux—both social conservatives—placed fourth and sixth, respectively, on the first ballot, and ultimately helped propel new leader Andrew Scheer to victory. “There were two audible gasps in the room,” said Michelle Austin, former Conservative staffer and […]
Tories get leader, but not big tent party needs
TORONTO—Connect the dots that led to Andrew Scheer’s narrow Conservative leadership victory and what you have is a triumph of retail politics over big ideas. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives lived and eventually died on the battlefield of boutique policies tailored to specific segments of the electorate. Those same dynamics ultimately determined the outcome of the former […]
Nice guys can finish first in this era of Canadian politics
OTTAWA—The Conservative leadership race is finally done and, true to form, in this marathon contest the ending was not as predicted in the closing weeks. There were lots of suggestions that Maxime Bernier was going to win. Instead the victory went to Andrew Scheer. While the opponents of the Conservatives run the predictable attack that […]
Conservative caucus rallies around Scheer; Bernier knew unity would have been tough for him, says Clement
Despite his tight victory, Conservative caucus members say they are unified in their support for new party leader Andrew Scheer, something Maxime Bernier was anticipating to be a challenge for him had he won, according to an MP who worked on his campaign. Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), who initially ran for the leadership himself […]
‘We’re the party of everyday Canadians,’ Scheer tells energized Conservative caucus on Parliament Hill
PARLIAMENT HILL—Monday morning before the House convened for the day, newly-elected Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer gathered members of his caucus of 99 MPs and 38 Conservative Senators in Centre Block’s Railway Room to lay out the direction of the party, both inside Parliament and beyond, and reinforced the party’s commitment to balanced budgets, repealing the […]
