Former Conservative candidate says Andrew Scheer's resignation as party leader is a chance to rebrand image

A former Tecumseh Conservative Party candidate who ran in this year's general election says Andrew Scheer's upcoming departure as Conservative leader will provide the party with a chance to rebrand its image.

Tecumseh resident Leo Demarce ran as the Conservative candidate for the Windsor-Tecumseh riding, ultimately snagging third place, behind NDP candidate Cheryl Hardcastle and now Liberal MP Irek Kusmiercyzk.

Demarce said he believed Scheer's departure "is the right thing to do at this point for our party."

"[It gives us] the opportunity to change our base and move our party just a little bit closer to the centre so that we can address the concerns of most Canadians, and be the federal party of choice to bring our country together, instead of divide it," he said.

Scheer announced on Thursday his intention to step down as Conservative leader as soon as a new leader is chosen, saying that choosing to resign was "one of the most difficult decisions" he has had to make. Despite the announcement, Scheer said he would remain in his role as MP for the Regina—Qu'Appelle riding.

Questions regarding payments made to cover the cost of private school for Andrew Scheer's children also began to swirl amidst his resignation.

His 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.

Though he complimented Scheer on his time as party leader, Demarce said "[Scheer] failed to properly address issues that people were constantly asking me in my riding, specifically regarding gay rights and regarding abortion."

Andrew Scheer received criticism during the general election for his pro-life stance on abortion, as well as comments he made in 2005 pertaining to his opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage.

The outgoing Conservative leader later clarified that he had no intention of reopening debates on either abortion or same-sex marriage, but the comments were repeatedly used by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as evidence of Scheer's inability to represent all Canadians.

Demarce added that the Conservative Party under Scheer failed to properly connect with Windsor-Tecumseh voters when it came to climate change.

Who should lead?

Scheer's resignation announcement on Thursday came in the wake of more than a month of discussions between Conservative party members and Conservative voices.

Demarce said he didn't weigh in on the debate.

"I wasn't given the opportunity to weigh in," he said. "I was waiting for Mr. Scheer to give me a call in case he wanted to hear from me personally, [but] that opportunity never occurred."

Nonetheless, Demarce would have advised Scheer to "make improvements" if he planned on remaining as Conservative leader.

Despite his agreement with Scheer's departure as Conservative leader, Demarce said he wasn't "on the inside enough" to be able to suggest a possible successor.

"I understand that it would be great to have somebody from the west to be the leader, and perhaps somebody from the Maritimes or from Ontario or Quebec," said Demarce, adding that Scheer's successor will "need to be somebody who's more modern and more capable of bringing us to the next level."

Additionally, Demarce said he didn't have any criticisms regarding Scheer's charisma, though he said voters in his riding expressed concerns.

"That doesn't mean he couldn't have been a great leader, doesn't mean he couldn't have been a great prime minister," said Demarce. "Unfortunately, that's how his persona was, and it is what it is."

Regional Conservatives react

Conservative Essex MP Chris Lewis issued a statement on Thursday addressing Scheer's resignation, saying the outgoing party leader "put his family first."

"I thank him for his years of service to this country and to our party," wrote Lewis. "He remains a valued colleague. He has my respect and friendship."

Conservative Chatham-Kent—Leamington MP Dave Epp also issued a statement Thursday, saying "our first thoughts are to thank Andrew Scheer for his years of contribution to public service, with special appreciation to his wife Jill and their wonderful children."

"As for the questions of what is next in terms of candidates, convention and process, we shall address those in the coming days and weeks once we know more," said Epp. "For now, we thank the leader for his service. As a party, we remain diligent to our duties as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition; as I continue to focus on the needs and interests of the people of Chatham-Kent-Leamington."

Party needs someone from an urban centre, says UWindsor prof.

Lydia Miljan, associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor, said the Conservative Party should pay close attention to leadership candidates from "an urban centre, preferably in Ontario or east of Ontario."

"They haven't been able to convince people in these urban centres — in particular women of visible minorities, new immigrants, as well as young people," she said. "And so they need somebody from these areas to really galvanize support for the party if they want to defeat the Liberals."

Miljan said former deputy opposition leader Lisa Raitt would make a strong contender for party leadership, but pointed out that Raitt had already denied interest in the position earlier on Thursday.

Miljan also pointed to retired politician Peter MacKay — who served in a number of high-ranking roles during the Stephen Harper administration, including as attorney general, Defence Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister — as another strong candidate.

However, she said she believes that party "will be looking at maybe new people."

As for when the party will elect a new leader, Miljan said that the previously scheduled leadership review in April 2020 "could be a potential date," though said four months would be a "pretty tight timeline" to carry out a leadership race.

"Having said that, provincially, we did that in Ontario," she said. "We had it in six weeks, so it can be done, but we don't have the same party for the Conservatives federally."

She said the questions regarding Scheer's private school payments are "pretty serious allegations."

"If those allegations are proven to be true, I think that there's going to be a less strong push to say you can be interim leader, because that's a pretty damning allegation," said Miljan.