OTTAWA - After rejecting calls for his resignation from within his party for weeks, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer announced Thursday that he will step down as soon as his party chooses a successor.
"Serving as the leader of the party that I love so much has been the opportunity and the challenge of a lifetime," Scheer said Thursday in the House of Commons, "and this was not a decision I came to lightly."
The decision comes less than two months after a disappointing election result for the Conservatives, in which they couldn't capitalize on the governing Liberals' ethics record and a stunning mid-campaign revelation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had repeatedly dressed up in blackface and brownface as a younger man. The Liberals were reduced to a minority in the House of Commons but held on to power.
On Thursday, Scheer said he was proud of his time as leader, noting there are more Conservative MPs than there were before the Oct. 21 election.
"We kept our party united and strong," he said. "We knocked the Liberals down to a minority. We increased seats all over this country."
Thank-you to my friend @AndrewScheer for his service to Canada in the tough job of Leader of the Opposition.
— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) December 12, 2019
I know this was a difficult decision, and wish Andrew all good things in the future. https://t.co/Fb4uhwzEYG
Still, he said he is stepping down because he can no longer give it his all.
"In order to chart the course ahead, this party, this movement, needs someone who can give 100 per cent to the efforts," he said, adding that he had decided it was time to put his family first.
Scheer said he would ask the national council of the Conservative Party of Canada to begin a leadership contest.
Dustin van Vugt, the executive director of the Conservative party, said Scheer made up his mind to resign after having "long and hard conversations with friends and family" over several weeks, and that he began to let his staff know earlier this week.
PM Trudeau has just made some extraordinarily gracious, remarks about Andrew Scheer. Class act.
— Michael Den Tandt (@mdentandt) December 12, 2019
He also shed light on how the party had helped Scheer with the cost of moving his family from Regina to Ottawa once he became leader.
"Shortly after Mr. Scheer was elected leader, we had a meeting where I made a standard offer to cover the costs associated with moving his family from Regina to Ottawa," van Vugt wrote in a statement Thursday.
Andrew Scheer had a very difficult job.
— Candice Malcolm (@CandiceMalcolm) December 12, 2019
Taking on an adversarial anti-conservative media, going up against the governing party/famous PM, trying to keep the fractious conservative tent together.
He wasn't perfect, but he did a good job. Thank you @AndrewScheer for your service.
"This includes a differential in schooling costs between Regina and Ottawa. All proper procedures were followed and signed off on by the appropriate people."
Scheer was emotional in his seven-minute speech to the House of Commons, interrupted multiple times by applause and standing ovations from his caucus. His wife Jill was in the gallery watching.
Scheer said he plans to remain as Conservative leader until his successor is chosen rather than giving way to an interim leader. He also plans to stay on as the MP for Regina-Qu'Appelle, the Saskatchewan riding he has represented since he was first elected in 2004.
I wish Andrew Scheer all the best as he undertakes this new chapter in his life, and thank him for his service as the head of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and leader of the Conservative Party. (Full statement below). #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/o99XrROmyc
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) December 12, 2019
He said he had a message for his fellow Conservatives as they head into the leadership race: "Let's stay united."
Scheer was elected as the Tory leader in May 2017, barely besting Maxime Bernier in the contest after numerous rounds of voting.
Bernier ultimately quit the party and founded his own People's Party of Canada. He lost his seat in the October election but spent a year harrying Conservatives from the right for being too much like Liberals.
Scheer said he would stand behind whoever wins.
"That person will have my 100 per cent support," he said.
Scheer also said the Liberals should not expect to benefit from facing an outgoing leader of the Opposition.
"During this leadership election there will be no free rides in the House of Commons," he said.
"We are going to continue to be here every single day to represent our constituents, perform our duties as parliamentarians, put Canadians and Canada first," he said.
Trudeau responded by saying he and Scheer, as well as the other parents in the House, share the goal of wanting to improve things for their children.
"We are politicians, we are in this House not in spite of having kids but because we have kids and are dedicated to building a better world for them with everything we have. And I respect that deeply in him," Trudeau said.
He said few know the challenges and rewards of leading a diverse party like the Conservatives or the Liberals.
Trudeau concluded by thanking Scheer "deeply for his service to Canada."
New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wanted to acknowledge the "hard work" that Scheer has put into his various roles. Before leading the Conservatives, Scheer was Speaker of the House of Commons, the youngest person to hold the post.
"I think we speak as a united voice in acknowledging that and thank you for your service," Singh said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford thanked Scheer for his work as leader of the federal Conservatives.
"I wish Andrew Scheer all the best as he undertakes this new chapter in his life, and thank him for his service as the head of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and leader of the Conservative party," Ford said in a statement.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, a former federal Conservative MP and minister, said he wished "Andrew all good things in the future."
Several prominent Conservatives in the past few weeks have called outright for Scheer's resignation, or for him to re-apply for his job in a new leadership contest. Having not won power in October, he faced a mandatory leadership review in April.
The party has asked former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird to conduct a review of the election.
On Thursday, Baird said that work is not yet finished.
"I look forward to writing and then submitting my report when it is complete," he wrote in a message posted to Twitter, where he also thanked Scheer for his service as leader. "I hope it will inform our party's next campaign and provide advice to whomever the (Conservative party) membership select as leader."
Andrew Scheer Resigns As Conservative Leader
— Darpan Magazine (@darpanmagazine) December 12, 2019
“Our party is not a cult of personality it is not shaped by whoevers name is on the masthead ,” @AndrewScheer said. “My only ask to my fellow Conservatives is this: let’s stay united.” pic.twitter.com/gO7IQzAKz7
QUICKQUOTES: POLITICAL LEADERS REACT TO SCHEER'S RESIGNATION AS TORY LEADER
A list of quotes from those reacting to the abrupt resignation of federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on Thursday:
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Scheer: "This was a decision I came to after many long, hard conversations with friends and family over the past two months since the election campaign. This has been an incredible challenge for our family to keep up with the pace that is required to lead a caucus and a party into a general election."
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: "I know that (Scheer) has shown tremendous strength and compassion. He has done that through tragedies, difficulties, victories and more challenging moments. I very much wish him all the very, very best in his next and exciting steps, whatever they be.... I want to thank him deeply for his service to Canada on behalf of all Canadians."
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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh: "It's a very difficult decision to take, and I want to acknowledge all the hard work that you put in, in all your roles, and the years of service that you've provided. I think we speak as a united voice in acknowledging that."
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford: "I wish Andrew Scheer all the best as he undertakes this new chapter in his life, and thank him for his service as the head of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and leader of the Conservative Party. I also want to take this opportunity to give my best wishes to Mr. Scheer's wife Jill and their five children."
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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney: "Thank-you to my friend @AndrewScheer for his service to Canada in the tough job of Leader of the Opposition. I know this was a difficult decision, and wish Andrew all good things in the future."
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A TIMELINE OF ANDREW SCHEER'S POLITICAL CAREER
OTTAWA - Andrew Scheer has announced he will resign as Conservative leader as soon as a replacement is chosen. Here's a brief timeline of his career on Parliament Hill:
June 28, 2004: Scheer is elected to Parliament at the age of 25, representing the Saskatchewan riding of Regina—Qu'Apelle. He was born in Ottawa, but finished up his undergraduate degree in the Prairie province. He is re-elected in 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2015.
June 2, 2011: Scheer is elected Speaker of the House of Commons at the age of 32 — the youngest person ever to hold the post.
Sept. 13, 2016: Scheer gives up his caucus position as Opposition House leader as he prepares to join the Conservative leadership race.
Sept. 28, 2016: Scheer files his paperwork to run for the Conservative leadership. He is the sixth official candidate to join the race.
May 27, 2017: Scheer is elected as leader of the Conservative party, barely beating out Maxime Bernier after more than a dozen rounds of voting.
Oct. 21, 2019: The Conservatives under Scheer boost the number of seats following a federal election but fail to form government. Scheer frames the loss as a symbolic victory, but a number of Conservatives call for his resignation. He insists he will stay on pending a mandatory leadership review set for April 2020.
Dec. 12, 2019: Scheer announces he will resign as party leader, saying he can no longer give the Conservative party his all. He says he'll stay on until the party chooses his replacement.
