Do you trust Andrew Scheer to be Canada's next prime minister?
On Thursday, The Globe and Mail revealed that Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer is a dual Canada-U.S. citizen. This became a particularly interesting fact because Scheer asked Canadians to question former governor-general Michaëlle Jean for not giving up her French citizenship back in 2005.
"Does it bother you that she is a dual citizen (France and Canada)? Would it bother you if instead of French citizenship, she held U.S. citizenship?" he wrote.
Scheer’s father was born in the U.S., which enabled him to be a dual citizen. He has never voted in an American election and no longer holds a valid passport.
The Tory leader said he met U.S. consular officials in August to begin the process of renouncing his American citizenship.
"I made the decision after I became leader of the party to do this," Scheer told reporters in Bedford, N.S. “No one has ever asked me before about it...Like millions of Canadians, one of my parents was born in another country."
On Friday, a Conservative Party spokesperson confirmed that Scheer is registered with the U.S. Selective Service System, which manages the U.S. military draft. All American men between the ages of 18 and 26 must be registered, according to U.S. law.
"Mr. Scheer registered as required by law," Simon Jefferies, a spokesperson for Scheer, said in an email to The Canadian Press.
Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau responded to the information of Scheer’s dual citizenship by saying that it should not disqualify him from being a politician but that he should “be honest with Canadians” now that he is running to be the country’s prime minister.
Voters also took to social media to discuss Scheer’s dual citizenship, which some believe he “hid” from Canadians.
First he lied about his employment history. Then he revealed that he is, in fact, opposed to a woman's right to choose. And now we are learning he is a U.S. citizen. What else is @AndrewScheer hiding from Canadians? https://t.co/UxFtjGRrjb #cdnpoli #polcan #elxn43 #ScheerAmerican
— Paul Meinema (@PaulMeinemaUFCW) October 4, 2019
Especially a dual citizenship that @AndrewScheer did not seek! He didn't choose for his dad to be born in U.S. and damn sure his dad didn't get to pick where he was born either. #liberalstupidity#TrudeauMustGo
— CShell (@Shelley10646639) October 4, 2019
Not sure if he registered for the U.S. Draft. What do you know & remember Andrew? Selective memory loss? Serious problem with picking & choosing disclosure, facts, the parallels with Scheer & Trump are uncanny. Draft Dodger-Draft Registry Dodger. But loves war weapon
— kathy mahar (@kathymahar) October 4, 2019
Last month, Yahoo Canada asked readers if they Scheer would be a trustworthy prime minister. Most of the respondents, 62 per cent, believed he would be trustworthy while 38 per cent said he would not. We asked our readers the same question about Justin Trudeau and 75 per cent said he is not trustworthy, while 25 per cent said he is.
Does this information change your opinion of Andrew Scheer? Do you trust him to be Canada’s next prime minister? Vote in the poll above and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
