Andrew Scheer, head of Canada’s main opposition party, quits after loss to Justin Trudeau
- Conservative leader under fire for secretly using party money to pay for his children’s private schooling
- Scheer will stay on in role until replacement is chosen
The head of Canada’s main opposition Conservatives quit on Thursday after losing an October election to Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leaving the party in search of a more effective leader.
Andrew Scheer said his resignation was “the best thing for our Conservative Party”, adding that he would stay on in his role until a replacement was chosen. Scheer, 40, is a fiscal and social conservative who was first elected at age 25.
Scheer was under pressure over his failure to beat Trudeau, who opinion polls showed was vulnerable after a series of scandals. When pictures of Trudeau in blackface emerged during the campaign, Scheer got a bump in the polls that faded before election day.
It is unclear when the party will elect another leader. The country’s most prominent Conservative, Alberta government head Jason Kenney, has no intention of running, said a well-placed Conservative source.
Dustin van Vugt, the Conservatives’ executive director, denied a report by Global News saying Scheer quit after it was discovered he had secretly used party money to pay for private schooling for his children.