Canada Conservative leader resigns

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Andrew Scheer announced Thursday in the Canadian Parliament that he was resigning as leader of the opposition Conservative Party.

He will stay on as leader until a new one is picked.

Pressure was mounting on Scheer to quit because of the disappointing result in the October election, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party won, albeit with a minority rather than the majority enjoyed in the 2015 election.

Scheer had scoffed at late as Nov. 30 at calls for his resignation but many Conservatives blamed him for not making inroads into Liberal dominated Ontario and Quebec, where the two most populated provinces are key to winning a federal election.

Scheer termed his resignation as “one of the most difficult decisions” he has ever made and comes after meeting with his Conservatives earlier Thursday.

The Liberals captured 157 seats in the Oct. 21 election, less than the 170 majority threshold that would have allowed them to push through virtually any legislation.

Scheer’s Conservatives scored 121 seats, up from 99 in the 2016 election.

Nevertheless, the expectations were a win that did not happen and Scheer’s personal opinion on same-sex marriage and abortion, both of which he opposed, clung to him during the election campaign.

With a Conservative leadership review coming in April, Scheer decided now was the time to leave.