Andrew Scheer

Andrew Scheer MP
35th Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
In office June 2, 2011 – December 3, 2015
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	David Johnston
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Peter Milliken
Succeeded by	Geoff Regan
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons
In office November 18, 2015 – September 13, 2016
Leader	Rona Ambrose
Preceded by	Peter Julian
Succeeded by	Candice Bergen
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Regina—Qu'Appelle
Incumbent
Assumed office June 28, 2004
Preceded by	Lorne Nystrom
Personal details
Born	May 20, 1979 Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Jill Scheer
Children	5
Residence	Regina, Saskatchewan
Profession	MP's personal assistant, Insurance broker
Religion	Roman Catholic

Andrew Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015.^[1][2] At age 32, he was the youngest person to serve in this capacity in Canadian parliamentary history.^[3] On September 28, 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party.^[4]

Early life and career

Scheer was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Mary Gerarda Theresa (Enright) and James Paul David "Jim" Scheer, a deacon.^[5] He graduated from Immaculata High School, and then studied history and politics at the University of Ottawa. While attending university, Scheer worked in the correspondence department of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition (OLO). He moved to Regina after meeting his future wife Jill Ryan at university and finished his BA at the University of Regina. Instead of returning to Ottawa, Scheer worked at Shenher Insurance for six months before joining the constituency office of a Canadian Alliance MP, Larry Spencer in Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre.

Politics

First years in the House of Commons

Scheer was elected as a Conservative candidate in the federal election of 2004 in the riding of Regina—Qu'Appelle, beating New Democratic Party MP Lorne Nystrom by 861 votes. At the time Nystrom had been the longest-serving member of the House of Commons. Scheer was re-elected in the federal election of 2006, once again defeating Nystrom, this time by a margin of 2,740 votes.

In April 2006, Scheer was named Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, one of three deputy speakers and one of the youngest Members of Parliament to serve in that role in Commonwealth history. On November 21, 2008, he was named Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Committees of the Whole,^[6] succeeding New Democrat MP Bill Blaikie.

Speaker of the House of Commons

When the Conservative Party won a majority at the federal election in 2011, Scheer's experience as Deputy Speaker led many to consider him the front-runner to be elected Speaker of the House of Commons.^[7][8] On June 2, 2011, Scheer defeated Denise Savoie in the sixth round of balloting; he was the last of five Conservative candidates, with Savoie the lone opposition candidate and the only woman. Scheer became the youngest House Speaker in Canadian history^[3] and the first speaker to represent a Saskatchewan riding.

Scheer was one of thirteen Canadians banned from travelling to Russia under retaliatory sanctions imposed by President Vladimir Putin in March 2014.^[9]

Opposition (second time)

Scheer was re-elected in the 2015 federal election that defeated the Conservative government. He was appointed Opposition House Leader by Leader of the Opposition Rona Ambrose. On September 13, 2016, he announced his resignation outside a party caucus meeting in Halifax in order to explore a bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.^[10]

2017 leadership election

On September 28, 2016, Scheer announced his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party,^[4] and that he has the support of 20 members of Conservative caucus.^[11]

Family

Andrew Scheer and his wife Jill have five children.^[12] Jill Scheer's younger brother is professional football player Jon Ryan.^[13]

References

1. "Profile". Parliament of Canada. July 17, 2015.
2. "Speaker of the House of Commons". Parliament of Canada. July 17, 2015.
3. "MPs elect youngest Speaker". CBC News. June 2, 2011.
4. "Ex-Commons Speaker Scheer declares candidacy for Conservative leadership". Retrieved 2016-09-28.
5. Brent Mattson. "The B.C. Catholic Paper - New Speaker of the House has never hidden his faith". rcav.org.
6. Journal of the House of Commons of Canada, November 21, 2008.
7. "Health Care Talks with Provinces Should Top Harper's List, Poll Finds". Globe and Mail. June 2, 2011. Others on that list [of candidates for Speaker] – Saskatchewan Tory MP and perceived frontrunner Andrew Scheer [...]
8. "NDP MP Aims to Be Second Female Speaker in History". National Post. May 21, 2011. It's widely speculated, however, that a Conservative is going to get the position, and Andrew Scheer, who has served as Assistant Deputy Speaker and Deputy Speaker for more than five years, is considered the frontrunner.
9. Susana Mas (March 24, 2013). "Russian Sanctions Against Canadians a 'Badge of Honour'". CBC News. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
10. "With MacKay out, Scheer steps down as House leader to explore Tory leadership run". Retrieved 2016-09-22.
11. "Andrew Scheer announces support of 20 members of Conservative caucus as he makes leadership bid official". Retrieved 2016-09-28.
12. MacCharles, Tonda (September 28, 2016). "Ex-speaker Andrew Scheer announces bid for Conservative leadership". thestar.com. Toronto Star. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
13. Vieira, Paul (January 31, 2014). "Canada's Speaker Has Stake in Seahawks Super Bowl Victory". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2016.

External links

• Andrew Scheer – Parliament of Canada biography
• Andrew Scheer, MP (Regina-Qu'Appelle) - official website