Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Oct, 2020 10:17 PM
  • Andrew Scheer not voting in U.S. election

Former Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, whose dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship became an issue in last year's federal election, won't be casting a ballot in the upcoming American vote.

Scheer had been in the process of renouncing his U.S. citizenship ahead of the 2019 fall campaign.

But he ended that process after his party failed to form government and he subsequently stepped down as leader.

In the 2016 presidential election, there were approximately 620,000 Americans in Canada who were eligible to cast ballots, though only around 32,000 did.

Scheer was not one of them then either; he said last year he has never voted in U.S. elections.

A spokesperson was asked Wednesday whether he intends to vote this time and the answer was no.

Scheer received American citizenship through his father, a fact that did not become broadly known until last fall's federal election because, he said at the time, no one asked him.

The issue dogged him during the campaign in part because he had previously spoken out against high office holders hanging onto dual citizenships, without disclosing he was among them.

Though he won the leadership of the Conservative party in 2017, he didn't begin to take steps to renounce his American citizenship until just before the 2019 general election.

The decision to renounce was linked to the fact that he had a shot at becoming prime minister, he said at the time.

But the Conservatives failed to defeat the Liberals and Scheer announced in December he was stepping down as party leader, pending the selection of his replacement.

"Given the fact that I won't be prime minister, I discontinued the process," he said in May.

Current Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is not a citizen of any other country, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

MORE National ARTICLES

Charges laid against former Bridge party leader

Charges laid against former Bridge party leader
"Two charges have been laid under the Canada Elections Act and a joint charge has been laid under the Criminal Code," Yves Côté said in a statement Thursday.

Charges laid against former Bridge party leader

WATCH: BC sets new daily record in COVID19 cases with first outbreak at a school

WATCH: BC sets new daily record in COVID19 cases with first outbreak at a school
WATCH: A new record for COVID19 cases for BC and the first outbreak of the virus at a school in the province’s interior.

WATCH: BC sets new daily record in COVID19 cases with first outbreak at a school

Trudeau's help sought in search for missing man

Trudeau's help sought in search for missing man
Memorial graduate Jordan Naterer, 25, was reported missing on Thanksgiving weekend after he didn’t return from a hike in E.C. Manning Provincial Park, 175 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Trudeau's help sought in search for missing man

Blanchet vows to press PM on prof's use of slur

Blanchet vows to press PM on prof's use of slur
Blanchet said Thursday he wasn't satisfied with that response and wants to see if Trudeau will support the University of Ottawa professor.

Blanchet vows to press PM on prof's use of slur

Snap election would pose voting hurdles

Snap election would pose voting hurdles
Stéphane Perrault says the time required to send out up to five million mail-in ballots, work with remote communities and install health measures for a voting amid a deadly second COVID-19 wave demands a longer writ period.

Snap election would pose voting hurdles

Evolving science reason for changed messages: Tam

Evolving science reason for changed messages: Tam
Dr. Theresa Tam says public health officials had to change their advice regarding wearing non-medical masks when epidemiologists came to understand that asymptomatic people can transmit the virus that causes COVID-19.

Evolving science reason for changed messages: Tam