He’s digging in. Against increasing odds, Andrew Scheer is sending every signal that he intends to remain leader of the Conservative party.
Last week, Scheer overhauled his office, dismissing chief of staff Marc-André Leclerc and communications director Brock Harrison. His campaign manager, Hamish Marshall, saw his contract expire, as well.
This week, Scheer unveiled a new “leadership team” which includes former Liberal MP Leona Alleslev as deputy leader. Next up, the reveal of his new shadow cabinet.
“I’m staying on to fight the fight Canadians elected us to do,” the embattled leader said.
“Now is not the time for internal divisions or internal party politics — that is an unfortunate part of the Conservative tradition in this country.”
Unfortunately for Scheer, conservatives have embraced tradition since the days of Edmund Burke, and Canadian Tories are no exception. In the past 10 days, the Quebec wing of the party held a fractious meeting where defeated candidates told Scheer he can’t win the next election.