OTTAWA 鈥� Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says his caucus is united and ready to focus on holding the Liberals to account after dodging what could have become his first post-election leadership test inside Wednesday鈥檚 Conservative caucus meeting.
鈥淥ur team is united, experienced, and focused on the job that we were elected to do,鈥� Scheer said, backed by a fraction of his caucus.
Over the seven hours that the meeting spanned, Scheer spoke directly to, and heard directly from, Tory MPs and senators who ultimately decided against voting to enact rules that would have allowed them to oust him as party leader.
鈥淲e had a frank discussion about the last election campaign,鈥� Scheer said. 鈥淢uch more was expected and nobody is more disappointed in the results then me, and nobody is more eager to get it right the next time.鈥�
While Scheer has avoided his leadership being tested for now, because of the election loss, a leadership review will still to occur at a delegated party convention in Toronto in April.
In an interview on CTV鈥檚 Power Play, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel said it was the 鈥渞ight decision鈥� to wait until the spring review for a decision on Scheer鈥檚 leadership future because in that scenario the party membership鈥檚 voices will be better represented and heard than if the caucus had made the call.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of our caucus for recognizing the rights of our membership,鈥� she said.
The vote on whether to enact the leadership review mechanism was 鈥渘ot close,鈥� according to one Conservative source.
On their way to Wednesday鈥檚 meeting, returning and newly-elected Conservative MPs expressed their support for Scheer and spoke against seizing the option to trigger a leadership vote within their caucus without input from the party鈥檚 grassroots. They also said that they hoped the meeting would include a 鈥渇ull airing鈥� of what worked and what didn鈥檛 in the party鈥檚 2019 campaign.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday evening Scheer said that he heard from his caucus that his communication needs to be stronger on issues like climate change and his stance on same-sex marriage but on neither issue did he indicate a change in position is coming.
Scheer said under his leadership he will continue to oppose a carbon tax, and on same-sex marriage he said that he believes that every person has 鈥渋nherent value.鈥�
In a bid to further rally support behind him, Scheer also said that Conservatives 鈥渁lways lose鈥� when they are divided, and spelled out the four priority issues that he says Trudeau needs to convene parliament promptly to deal with: keeping Canada united, 鈥渞estoring鈥� ethics and accountability to Ottawa, helping Canadians get ahead, and getting the energy sector back to work.
Caucus votes on Reform Act
In Wednesday鈥檚 meeting the caucus voted to determine whether it wanted to enable the caucus鈥檚 ability to remove an MP or select a caucus chair, remove a party leader, or elect an interim leader.
The Conservatives voted against empowering caucus in relation to the two leadership questions but did hold a vote to elect their new caucus chair, and will have power in relation to removing a member from caucus. The party decided to support the same two of the four aspects of the Act at the beginning of the last parliament.
The new caucus chair is Conservative MP Tom Kmiec, who cited caucus confidentiality when asked what the tone and mood was like inside the room.
The option to trigger a leadership ouster and these other powers was made possible thanks to Conservative MP Michael Chong鈥檚 contentious legislative initiative in 2015, aimed at empowering caucuses.
Called the Reform Act, it requires that these votes occur at the very first caucus meeting for each party.
It would have taken just 20 per cent of the caucus to sign on in agreement of a leadership review. The actual secret ballot vote would have required a majority to vote to replace the leader.
MPs wanted 鈥榝ull airing鈥�
Also to come out of the meeting: former Conservative minister John Baird has been picked to lead the postmortem into what went wrong for the Conservatives this election.
Scheer said he would like Baird to report back on his findings as soon as possible, given that the next election could come at any time given the relative instability of minority parliaments. He acknowledged that he wanted to do better in key areas like Ontario and Quebec, and will be looking to see in the report how decisions were made based on the information they had, and where the party may be best to put people and resources next time.
On their way in to Wednesday鈥檚 meeting several caucus members spoke about the intention to have a 鈥渇ull airing鈥� of the 2019 Conservative campaign to hear 鈥渨hat worked well for members and what didn鈥檛 work so well,鈥� as Conservative MP Michael Barrett put it.
MPs said that Scheer has already taken steps to make improvements and listen to his team.
鈥淒uring the campaign at the doors a lot of my constituents expressed concerns about the leader. They continue to express concern in communication with my office and so I鈥檓 glad to see that he鈥檚 said he鈥檚 going to go do a listening tour across the country and we鈥檒l see what happens,鈥� said Conservative MP Ron Liepert.
The Conservative caucus was expected to offer varied perspectives on what the party needs to do to boost its electability and deliver a strong presence as the Official Opposition in the new Liberal minority parliament.
鈥淭here were a number of issues that came up, some of the ways in which they were addressed may not have been the optimal way,鈥� said defeated Conservative MP and deputy leader Lisa Raitt.
Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen said she thinks their issue was largely one of communication, but that鈥檚 something that can be improved under Scheer鈥檚 leadership. She spoke against the idea of caucus deciding Scheer鈥檚 fate today.
鈥淚 believe the grassroots members should decide on the future of a leader,鈥� Bergen said.
鈥淲e went in wanting to win, expecting to win, and we鈥檙e not satisfied with the silver medal, so every time that happens you take a look at the entire operation to look at where you can get better,鈥� said Conservative whip Mark Strahl.
According to The Canadian Press, Scheer held a casual gathering with MPs at Stornoway, his official residence on Tuesday night in advance of today鈥檚 high-stakes sit-down.
Scheer鈥檚 leadership questioned
While the party elected 121 MPs to the House of Commons, Scheer has faced outspoken criticism from within his party on various aspects of the campaign in the weeks that have passed since election day.
From questioning the data-driven internal decision-making lead by his campaign manager Hamish Marshall, to Scheer鈥檚 position on what the majority of Canadians view as settled social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, the knives appear to be out for the leader who narrowly took the helm of the party in 2017.
Marshall was on Parliament Hill on Wednesday but did not stop to take media questions upon his arrival.
Last week, Scheer spent a few days huddled with senior members of caucus to plot their Official Opposition strategy for the new parliament and assess the lay of the land heading into today鈥檚 meeting.
Strahl was one of the senior members in the meeting. He told reporters on Wednesday that Scheer 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� has the confidence of caucus but that he doesn鈥檛 think Scheer has to change who he is in order to win.
Stephen Harper鈥檚 former director of communications said on CTV鈥檚 Question Period that Scheer鈥檚 position on same-sex marriage 鈥渃ould be fatal鈥� to his future as leader because not supporting same-sex marriage is 鈥渧iewed increasingly as bigotry.鈥�
On her way to Wednesday鈥檚 meeting, Rempel said she thinks the party can, and should do more to be a voice for the LGBTQ community, beyond the 鈥渟ymbolism鈥� she said that the Liberals have offered. Asked whether she thinks that鈥檚 possible under Scheer鈥檚 leadership, she said she went into the meeting looking to find that out.
When asked to clarify what his personal position is Scheer said: 鈥淢y personal opinion is that I respect the rights of every single Canadian and my personal commitment to Canadians is to always fight for the rights of all Canadians including LGBTQ Canadians.鈥�
Last week, one-time Conservative cabinet minister and rumoured potential leadership contender Peter MacKay compared Scheer鈥檚 2019 election loss to a scandal-plagued Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 鈥渉aving a breakaway on an open net and missing the net,鈥� and said that Scheer鈥檚 socially conservative personal views hurt their chances to pick up key votes.
He then sought to clarify that he meant his comments on Scheer鈥檚 campaign 鈥渟hortcomings鈥� to be constructive and any rumours of him organizing a leadership challenge are 鈥渇alse.鈥�
On election night, Scheer highlighted that the Liberals lost support in all regions, while the Conservatives were sending a bigger team to Ottawa that would position themselves as a government-in-waiting, framing the loss as the 鈥渇irst step鈥� towards ousting Trudeau.
Wednesday night Scheer said the Conservatives will 鈥渇inish the job鈥� in the next election.
