Andrew Scheer testing the leadership waters

Andrew Scheer is getting his political ducks in a row.

The MP for Regina-Qu’Appelle won’t call it a fundraiser but did hold a gathering of supporters in Regina recently to gauge support for a potential bid for the Conservative Party’s leadership

“I bounced off the idea that I was considering running for the leadership and it is important to know if you have the support back home before you go out,” Scheer admitted.

So far, five people have announced their intention to run for the party leadership, Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier, Michael Chong, Tony Clement and Deepak Obhrai.

Like Scheer, several others are still weighing their options.

“As you know I have a very young family so it would take a bit of a balancing act on the personal side to make a go of it,” Scheer explained.

“It really will take a lot of pieces coming together, it will take a lot of good support on my family side, I will need a lot of help from my caucus colleagues and conservative activists across the country.”

Alberta MP Rona Ambrose has been the interim leader since Stephen Harper stepped down after the 2015 federal election.

Scheer said he will make a decision by the end of the summer.