Conservative leader Scheer announces resignation

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Andrew Scheer has announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Scheer made the announcement in the House of Commons December 12, 2019.

The news isn’t a shock to many, as the leader lost the latest election to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; however, Scheer did vow less than three weeks ago to retain his position with the party.

There are also reports that Scheer has been using party funds to pay for his children’s education, but Scheer’s office told CBC News that the Conservative Party was paying the difference between the cost of private school tuition for Scheer’s kids in Saskatchewan and the higher cost of tuition in Ottawa, along with some other expenses, which is customary. His office added that this was not the reason for Scheer’s resignation.

Scheer, MP from Regina-Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, has been leader of the Conservatives since 2017.

In a letter sent out to his supporters, Scheer says it wasn’t a decision he came to lightly and that it took, “many long, hard conversations with friends and family over the past two months.”

He went on to say, “this has been an incredible challenge for our family to keep up with the pace that is required to lead a party and a caucus into a general election. My wife Jill has been absolutely heroic, but in order to chart the course ahead, this party, this movement, needs someone who can give 100 percent to the effort. And after some conversations with my kids, and my loved ones, I felt it was time to put my family first.”

At this time he’s asked the Conservative Party National Council to begin the process of organizing a leadership election immediately, and says he will be staying on as leader, though looking at the party constitution, it’s up to the caucus to make that decision on an interim leader.

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