Wednesday, December 31, 2025
ADVT 
National

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Oct, 2020 10:17 PM
  • Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, whose dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship became an issue in last year's federal election, won't be casting a ballot in the upcoming American vote.

Scheer had been in the process of renouncing his U.S. citizenship ahead of the 2019 fall campaign.

But he ended that process after his party failed to form government and he subsequently stepped down as leader.

In the 2016 presidential election, there were approximately 620,000 Americans in Canada who were eligible to cast ballots, though only around 32,000 did.

Scheer was not one of them then either; he said last year he has never voted in U.S. elections.

A spokesperson was asked Wednesday whether he intends to vote this time and the answer was no.

Scheer received American citizenship through his father, a fact that did not become broadly known until last fall's federal election because, he said at the time, no one asked him.

The issue dogged him during the campaign in part because he had previously spoken out against high office holders hanging onto dual citizenships, without disclosing he was among them.

Though he won the leadership of the Conservative party in 2017, he didn't begin to take steps to renounce his American citizenship until just before the 2019 general election.

The decision to renounce was linked to the fact that he had a shot at becoming prime minister, he said at the time.

But the Conservatives failed to defeat the Liberals and Scheer announced in December he was stepping down as party leader, pending the selection of his replacement.

"Given the fact that I won't be prime minister, I discontinued the process," he said in May.

Current Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is not a citizen of any other country, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

MORE National ARTICLES

Blanchet denies Bloc MP made 'racist' gesture at NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

Blanchet denies Bloc MP made 'racist' gesture at NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's accusation that a Bloc Quebecois MP is a racist has boiled over into a second day of tense exchanges in Ottawa.

Blanchet denies Bloc MP made 'racist' gesture at NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

Made-in-Canada contact tracing app ready for testing in Ontario: Trudeau

Made-in-Canada contact tracing app ready for testing in Ontario: Trudeau
A made-in-Canada mobile app to alert Canadians who may have been exposed to a person infected with COVID-19 is ready for testing in Ontario, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.

Made-in-Canada contact tracing app ready for testing in Ontario: Trudeau

Canada's COVID-19 caseload surpasses 100,000

Canada's COVID-19 caseload surpasses 100,000
Canada's struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic passed a bleak milestone on Thursday, with data from one of the hardest-hit provinces pushing the national caseload over the 100,000 threshold.

Canada's COVID-19 caseload surpasses 100,000

Accused must knowingly breach bail conditions to be found guilty: Supreme Court

Accused must knowingly breach bail conditions to be found guilty: Supreme Court
A person accused of breaching bail must knowingly or recklessly violate conditions in order to be found guilty of straying from them, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled.

Accused must knowingly breach bail conditions to be found guilty: Supreme Court

Federal deficit could hit $256 billion, PBO says in new report

Federal deficit could hit $256 billion, PBO says in new report
The parliamentary budget officer says in a new report that this year's federal deficit could hit $256 billion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal deficit could hit $256 billion, PBO says in new report

Surrey man taken off plane for smoking

Surrey man taken off plane for smoking
Police say, a WestJet flight from Vancouver to Toronto made a landing in Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon around 2:25 p.m. because of a disruptive passenger.  The RCMP said Balvir Singh, a 60 year old Surrey resident lit a cigarette and didn't abide by instructions of the flight crew.

Surrey man taken off plane for smoking