Reactions to Scheer’s resignation run the gamut in Regina

Andrew Scheer announced his resignation as leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday in the House of Commons to applause and thanks, but the reaction halfway across the country in Saskatchewan was a bit more varied.

“I’m not surprised that he quit,” said Dan Portelance, who was shopping in the strip mall that includes Scheer’s Regina-Qu’Appelle constituency office. “Judging by what I saw on Twitter and stuff, I don’t think people down east liked him very much.

“People didn’t like him personally. I think his personality maybe rubbed people the wrong way.”

Chris Tetlock was surprised by Scheer’s decision.

“Why the hell would he do that?” Tetlock said. “We had one good option out in the west and he was it.”

In Tetlock’s opinion, Scheer was the best leader he’d seen in recent years, saying at least he cared about the west. Tetlock called Scheer’s resignation a shame.

For others, they didn’t seem to feel the same level of support from Scheer.

“I was surprised that he hadn’t spoken up more for us in the West,” said Carla McConnell.

“Scheer didn’t really come out here when he was campaigning,” added Lorna Issel, who added even the Conservatives need to listen more to concerns in the west.

Portelance, who voted for Scheer, was asking where he was during his time as leader.

“He was kind of invisible. I live in this riding. I never saw him around or anything like that,” said Portelance.

Despite the criticism, most of the people outside his constituency office seemed to like and support Scheer but said he didn’t perform well nationally.

“He did pretty good but I guess he just isn’t quite mean enough, maybe,” said Issel.

Scheer’s fellow MP

Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan MP Tom Lukiwski, who was first elected at the same time as Scheer and in a neighbouring riding, said Thursday’s announcement was a bit of a shock.

“I’ve been 100 per cent behind Andrew every step of the way and so today’s announcement was shocking and disappointing,” Lukiwski said. “I hate to see Andrew go. He’s a very, very good man.”

Lukiwski said he was even part of Scheer’s campaign team when he ran for the leadership.

This change won’t have much of a negative impact on the party, according to Lukiwski. He said parties always go through cycles of renewal like this.

“It will, obviously, be an exciting time within the party, a time for some renewal and I’m looking forward to it,” said Lukiwski.

He doesn’t know, however, what the party membership will make of this.

“I think and I hope that our members will understand Andrew’s reasoning,” Lukiwski said. “He’s a family man. He’s got five small children who’ve gone through an awful lot these last few years while Andrew has been leader of the party. In a sense it has almost stolen their youth from them, or at least their dad away from their period of growing up.”

Lukiwski is looking ahead now, saying it’s too early to know who any favourites might be for the leadership race. He said he’ll be very interested to see who’s going to put their name forward.

As for what he’s looking for in a new leader, Lukiwski said he wants someone who’s intelligent, a very good public speaker, tough, and fair.

An expected turn

Where Lukiwski was shocked at the change of fortune for Scheer, political strategist Kory Teneycke said he wasn’t surprised at all. He had put a 100 per cent chance on Scheer not making it to April as the party leader.

Teneycke said it’s too bad in a lot of ways, but politics is a rough, tough business.

“Andrew tried hard and he fell short, and in politics that means that you have to step aside and you’ve got to let somebody else have a go at it,” said Teneycke, who worked on Maxime Bernier’s campaign for the Conservative leadership in 2017.

He said that Scheer is a nice guy, but Teneycke referenced him as a weak leader. Teneycke said Scheer had never done anything outside of politics and that didn’t strike much of a contrast with the current prime minister.

Teneycke said Canada can do better.

“I think there are a lot of accomplished people in this country and it would be nice to see some of them put country first and step up and run in the leadership race,” he said.

According to Teneycke, the Liberals being in a minority position means the next Conservative leader will have a very good chance of becoming the next prime minister, and that will bring out more interesting and serious candidates.

Like Lukiwski, Teneycke indicated that it’s too early to say who’s going to float to the top of the talent pool for the leadership. He pointed to the last Conservative race and Kevin O’Leary, saying that, at the beginning, no one had speculated O’Leary would come forward.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Andrew Shepherd