Distraction tactic forces Scheer to confront past statements By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Aug. 30, 2019

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This article was published 30/08/2019 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Andrew Scheer has a point.

When the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada stepped in front of a bank of microphones and cameras at a formal press conference on Thursday — his first such public appearance in more than a week — his first order of business was to address questions that have arisen of late based on his years-past statements on the hot-button topics of abortion and LGBTTQ+ rights.

Mr. Scheer’s response was to accuse the federal Liberals of dredging up old controversies as a means of distracting public attention from the Trudeau government’s “broken promises, massive deficits, tax increases and ethical and corruption scandals.”

As he unleashed his return-volley set of accusations, Mr. Scheer found himself, figuratively, on fairly solid ground. There’s little doubt that the Liberals’ focus on the Conservative leader’s questionable past utterances was motivated in large part by a desire to divert the public’s gaze away from the steaming pile of missteps and misdeeds from which the current government, with mere weeks to go before a federal election, is feverishly trying to distance itself.

The question after Thursday’s media availability, and on a going-forward basis, is whether Mr. Scheer said enough to allay the concerns that were rekindled by the Liberals’ strategic reminder to voters of what this man who would be prime minister has publicly stood for in the not-so-distant past.

Of particular note in the Liberals’ strategic political-past spelunking was a 2005 speech by Mr. Scheer in the House of Commons, in which he spoke against same-sex marriage on the grounds that it would be inappropriate to afford same-sex couples access to an institution whose principal purpose is “natural procreation.”

The fact he was forced to spend so much of a daily news cycle responding to the unearthed video clips shows the Liberals’ effort to deflect attention away from their own considerable failings and onto Mr. Scheer’s beliefs was, to some extent, successful. He will no doubt be forced to address these issues again in the days and weeks ahead.

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Without directly disavowing that position, Mr. Scheer this week stated that the issue of same-sex marriage has been decided and laid to rest by Parliament, and that he, as prime minister should his party be elected, “will not reopen this debate (and) will oppose measures or attempts to reopen this debate.”

The Conservative leader also said his personal view is “that LGBT Canadians have the same inherent self-worth and dignity as every other Canadian,” but he has consistently declined to take part in Pride celebrations or parades.

On the issue of abortion, about which the tenets of Mr. Scheer’s Catholic faith are abundantly clear, the Conservative leader said a Tory government would not reopen the issue, but added that individual MPs “have the right to express themselves on matters of conscience.” This, combined with another Liberal-dredged clip in which a spokesman for an anti-abortion organization states that Mr. Scheer, while running for the party leadership, promised MPs would be allowed to vote freely on private member’s bills related to abortion access, has left some observers with the impression Mr. Scheer has not completely clarified what his government’s position on such polarizing social issues would be.

The fact he was forced to spend so much of a daily news cycle responding to the unearthed video clips shows the Liberals’ effort to deflect attention away from their own considerable failings and onto Mr. Scheer’s beliefs was, to some extent, successful. He will no doubt be forced to address these issues again in the days and weeks ahead.

Mr. Scheer’s point about “political distraction” is well taken. He would also, however, have to agree the diversionary tactic, at least temporarily, was an effective bit of political mischief.