Scheer staying positive after failing to form government

Andrew Scheer may not have woken up as prime minister-designate Tuesday morning, but he seemed determined to keep looking at the bright side of the election when speaking to media.

“While we didn’t get the result we wanted, we still made excellent gains. No party earned more votes than the Conservative Party (Monday) night, and at 6.2 million votes and still counting, we earned the third-most votes ever cast for a political party in an election campaign, including the Conservative majority in 2011,” Scheer said during a media event at the Delta Hotel.

The Liberals will form a minority government after winning 157 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons in Monday’s election. The Conservatives claimed 121 seats, but earned 34.4 per cent of the vote — more than one per cent better than the Liberals’ 33.1 per cent.

Scheer said Canadians have passed judgment on Justin Trudeau, especially in Alberta and Saskatchewan where the Liberals were shut out. All but one riding in Alberta went Conservative, as did all 14 constituencies in Saskatchewan.

According to Scheer, that, along with the rise of the Bloc Quebecois, means that the country is more divided than ever — and Scheer said that’s because of Trudeau.

Scheer said he spoke about the division with Trudeau on Monday night.

“I urged him to take notice of these urgent and troubling results, and more words and platitudes will not cut it,” Scheer said. “He must be willing to change course, to stop his attacks on the energy sector, and to recognize that when Western Canada succeeds, all of Canada succeeds.”

When Scheer was asked whether he’s stoking division for his own gains, he seemed to reject the notion.

“The results last night speak for themselves,” replied Scheer, who stressed he will stay on as the Conservative leader. “The fact that our country is more divided than ever is directly a result of Justin Trudeau’s approach over the last four years.

“I believe in Canada (and) I believe in a united Canada. I’m going to do everything I can to fight for Canada, to fight for Alberta, to fight for Saskatchewan (and) to fight for all provinces in this country.”

For voters in the west, Scheer said he hears their frustration. They’ve given the Conservatives a strong mandate to fight for them, he noted, and the party will head back to Ottawa with a renewed optimism.

He said the work to find out what went wrong and what went right begins immediately.

“We will be ready when the time comes, and his government falls, to take the fight back to Justin Trudeau and give Canadians the government they deserve,” said Scheer.