Local MPs are excited about the Conservative party’s path forward with its new leader, who was elected over the weekend.
Elected party leader on Saturday in Toronto, Andrew Scheer, MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle, overcame a deficit over the first 12 ballots to secure a majority of the party’s support on the 13th ballot. He beat Quebec MP Maxime Bernier 50.95 per cent to 49.05 per cent.
Bernier held a plurality of the votes in rounds one through 12 of balloting, but never got over the 50 per cent hump.
In a Monday release, Earl Dreeshen, Red Deer-Mountain View welcomed the new permanent leader of his party and offered his congratulations.
Congratulations to my friend and our new Conservative Leader @andrewscheer Canada's next Prime Minister !
— Earl Dreeshen (@earl_dreeshen) May 29, 2017
Dreeshen said Scheer’s time as speaker of the house will serve him well.
“He’s respected by everybody,” said Dreeshen, in a phone interview. “He was selected as speaker unanimously.”
Dreeshen said he believes Scheer will serve the party well and the country well as opposition leader for the next two years. But more importantly Scheer will be a formidable contender in the 2019 federal election and lead the party back into power.
Despite the thin margin, Dreeshen pointed to the leadership process that he said will serve the party well as it unifies around it’s new leader.
I am confident that our party will unite under his leadership as we move toward our goal to continue earning the trust of Canadians and forming government in the next election.”
“Andrew has put a focus on eliminating job killing policies like the carbon tax, while standing up for families across the country. I look forward to working, along with my colleagues, under the leadership of our new leader and the next Prime Minister of Canada, Andrew Scheer.”
Blaine Calkins, Red Deer-Lacombe MP, endorsed Erin O’Toole, Durham, Ontario MP, during the leadership race while Dreeshen did not. After Scheer’s win, Calkins posted on his Facebook offering his congratulations.
“I am very excited to work with you to strengthen our party as we prepare to beat (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau in 2019,” he wrote.
In Red Deer-Mountain View, Maxime Bernier won a majority of the constituency’s support with 51.15 per cent to Scheer’s 48.85 per cent. In Red Deer-Lacombe Scheer won the majority with 55.69 per cent to Bernier’s 44.31 per cent.