The Minivan-Driving Fiscal Conservative Who Could Beat Canadas Trudeau

(Reuters) Steve Scherer October 10 2019 10:00 MISSISSAUGA Ontario - Canadian Conservative leader Andrew Scheer who has a chance of defeating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oct. 21 election is running as a fiscally prudent minivan-driving dad whom Canadians can count on to rescue the country from the tax-and-spend Liberal leader. Scheers carefully cultivated every man persona contrasts with his more charismatic opponent whose star has faded after four years in government. Just since August Trudeau has been embroiled in a blackface scandal and condemned by Canadas ethics watchdog. That has given the normally mild-mannered Scheer reason to go on the attack. In an election debate on Monday Scheer attacked Trudeau as a blackface-wearing phony and fraud who does not deserve to govern drawing gasps from the live audience. With an untested leader at their helm the Conservatives are counting on public fatigue with Trudeau to propel them to victory in a race that opinion polls show as virtually tied. Scheer was elected Conservative leader in 2017. Whats motivating Conservative voters is a dislike for Justin Trudeau a real desire to see him defeated said pollster David Coletto chief executive of Abacus Data. Scheer a 40-year-old father of five says his vision for Canadas future is fiscal prudence and free markets plus backing for the struggling oil industry and a little help to households for cost-of-living increases.