By Alex McCuaig

scheer leadership

Elected conservatives speak of Scheer leadership

Nov 29, 2019 | 5:05 PM

Medicine Hat, AB – Fresh off being named associate shadow minister for public safety, Medicine Hat MP Glen Motz is defending Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer continuing in the role and letting the party’s grassroots decide the next steps during a leadership review in the spring.

Motz said he welcomes the return to the critic role he held in the last parliament but is less welcoming of the questioning of Scheer’s leadership externally from the media and, to a lesser extent, internally from the party.

“This is a decision for the members of our party,” said Motz. “I believe that strongly and one of the strengths of our party is the grassroots connection and the grassroots involvement in everything from policy development to the selection of our leader . . . I support Andrew. He’s our leader and we’re ready to serve Canadians in the job they’ve asked us to do, that they are counting on us to do.”

That said, Motz says having a leadership review post-election and debate at the party’s convention is a healthy discussion for Conservatives to have.

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“As far as where this is coming from, I think it’s fair to say we have a very strong caucus and very supportive of Andrew Scheer and I think there is more people outside trying to stir the pot than there is inside,” said Motz.

While Motz will be heading off to Ottawa this weekend in advance of Parliament opening next week and miss Scheer’s address at the UCP convention in Calgary, MLA Drew Barnes will be at that event.

Barnes says he’ll leave it up to the federal Conservatives to decide the fate of Scheer but has a recommendation for the Opposition Leader.

“Any direction of the Conservative Party that moves further away from the values of Southern Alberta, the values of helping each other, the values of fiscal responsibility, the values that built the West as strong as it can be, I think will be harmful to the Conservative Party of Canada,” said Barnes.

He added that if the federal Conservatives stick to that message, “you win government.”

A leadership review is scheduled for the Conservative Party convention in April in Toronto.