Cross Country Checkup

What is the future of the Conservative Party under its new leader? What does it mean for Canadian politics?

It's been months of debates between a field of candidates large enough to fill a prairie sky and now there's just one left standing: Andrew Scheer.
Andrew Scheer speaks after being elected the new leader of the federal Conservative party at the federal Conservative leadership convention in Toronto on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his new foe in the House of Commons, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, spoke by phone today. Trudeau called Scheer from Italy, where the prime minister is currently on a state visit following the G7 summit. (The Canadian Press / Frank Gunn)

It's been months of debates between a field of candidates large enough to fill a prairie sky and now there's just one left standing: Andrew Scheer.

Our question this week: What's the future of the Conservative Party under its new leader? And what does it mean for Canadian politics?

The race to decide the leader of the Conservative Party and leader of her Majesty's Loyal Opposition is over. After months of debates between a large field of candidates, Andrew Scheer has been selected leader. The contest went down to the wire last night and Scheer defeated front-runner Maxime Bernier by the narrowest of margins.  
Host of Cross Country Checkup, Duncan McCue.

It was a surprise victory that left many Canadians asking today: who is Andrew Scheer? 

He's a familiar face to those who follow Canadian politics closely - an MP from Saskatchewan for over a decade and the youngest person ever to serve as speaker of the House of Commons. He's 38-years-old, Ottawa-born, functionally bilingual, a staunch Catholic, and a father of five. 

Scheer campaigned on balanced budgets, scrapping the Liberal's carbon pricing plan, and tax breaks for families who send their kids to independent schools. He's a social conservative, though he's pledged not to re-open debates on same-sex marriage or abortion in Canada. He's often described as "Stephen Harper with a smile." A description he calls accurate.

What do you think of the choice of Scheer? Were you watching the Conservative leadership campaign? What did you think of the race and the candidates? 

Our question this week: What's the future of the Conservative Party under its new leader? And what does it mean for Canadian politics?

Guests

Andrew Scheer
New leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Twitter: @andrewscheer

Darrel Bricker
CEO Ipsos Global Public Affairs. Co-authored with John Ibbitson  "The Big Shift: The Seismic Change In Canadian Politics, Business, And Culture And What It Means For Our Future."
Twitter: @darrellbricker

Jennifer Ditchburn
Editor-in-Chief Policy Options magazine,  Institute for Research in Public Policy. Co-editor of "The Harper Factor: Assessing a Prime Minister's Policy Legacy"
Twitter: @jenditchburn

Rachel Curran
Former director of policy to Stephen Harper when he was PM.
Twitter: @reicurran

Anthony Sayers
Political science professor University of Calgary. Author of Parties, Candidates and Campaigns in Canadian Elections.
Twitter: @AnthonyMSayers