Andrew Scheer resignation 'diminishes' Sask. voice in Ottawa, says political scientist
Saskatchewan political scientist Jim Farney says Saskatchewan's voice in Ottawa has been "diminished" by Andrew Scheer's decision to step down as Conservative Party leader.
"When you scan the potential people who run as leaders, I don't expect to see a Saskatchewan face there," said Farney, department head of politics and international studies at the University of Regina.
"We had [Brad] Wall, the most popular premier in the country and a real figure on the right, that's a big step down for us," Farney said.
Scheer is one of 14 Saskatchewan Conservative members of parliament. The province did not elect a single Liberal in October's federal election.
On Thursday, Scheer announced he will resign as Conservative Party leader but will remain the MP for Regina-Qu'Appelle. He also plans to stay on as leader until a new one is chosen.
"In order to chart the course ahead, this party, this movement, needs someone who can give 100 per cent to the efforts and after some conversations with my kids, my loved ones, I felt it was time to put my family first," Scheer said, as his wife Jill looked on from the House of Commons gallery.
Scheer has represented Saskatchewan in the House of Commons since 2004 when he was elected at age 25.
Farney said he thought Scheer may try to fight for his position through a spring leadership review and was "surprised" at the timing of the decision.
"This looks like the result of either a walk in the snow on his part or some really nasty inside baseball and a sudden pre-Christmas decision to go."
Farney said Scheer stepping down as leader comes at a time when arguments being made that the voice of oil-producing regions of Saskatchewan and Alberta need more attention.
Private school costs questioned
As Scheer was addressing his fellow MPs in the House of Commons, Global News reported the Conservative Party had paid for his children's private school tuition.
Scheer's office confirmed to 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. That cost was described as "minimal" but amounted to thousands of dollars.
His office insisted the tuition matter was not the reason for Scheer's resignation.
"Shortly after Mr. Scheer was elected leader, we had a meeting where I made a standard offer to cover costs associated with moving his family from Regina to Ottawa," Dustin van Vugt, executive director of the Conservative Party, said in a media statement.
Moe and Wall react
Both Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and former premier Brad Wall shared short messages on social media thanking Scheer.
"I would like to thank Mr. Andrew Scheer for his service to Canadians as leader of the Conservative Party and wish the best to him and his family," Moe said.
"Thank you Andrew Scheer for your service as Leader of the CPC," Wall tweeted.
Wall's name has always been associated as a potential candidate for federal Conservative leadership but Farney said he doesn't think the former Saskatchewan premier will be in the running.
"He's signaled so often that he's not interested, I'm inclined to believe him."
