(File photo/CJME News Staff)

By Keenan Sorokan

Scheer speaks to cheering crowd during brief stop in Saskatoon

Sep 29, 2019 | 9:22 AM

Even though he arrived almost an hour late and spoke for only 12 minutes, Andrew Scheer didn’t need to try too hard to impress a crowd of vocal party supporters at the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

“Being from Regina, I have to make sure that I leave enough time to stop off at Fuddruckers before we make the drive back home,” the Conservative leader said before acknowledging much of the crowd’s plans on Saturday evening.

“I know that we’re going to hit a lot of doors tonight, because I know a lot of people are going to be home watching Saskatchewan beat the Argos tonight.”

That was just the opening 30 seconds of the speech that seemed to captivate the crowd from the moment Scheer appeared.

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Speaking to the crowd of roughly 450 people, Scheer put his Rider fandom away as he took direct aim at Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

First up was a lack of faith in the Liberal leader.

“We know we can’t trust (Trudeau) to keep his promises,” Scheer said. “He said that the budget would balance itself in 2019 — he broke that promise. He said he’d lower taxes on the middle class, instead he raised them. Instead, it’s making everything more expensive.”

Scheer didn’t introduce any new party policies during the speech. He did reiterate the party’s stance on a variety of party platforms, including a repeal of the carbon tax, his next jab at Trudeau.

“I’m here to tell you I’ll be a champion for our energy sector, and we’re going to get pipelines built in this province by phasing out the Liberal government,” Scheer said.

“Hard-working Canadian families do mind (higher gas prices) and that’s why we’re going to cancel the carbon tax.”

Scheer didn’t just champion the energy sector, he promised to remove government sales tax from home heating bills before promoting the agriculture sector and taking yet another jab at Trudeau, this time over his foreign affairs performance.

“We don’t have time to list all of (Trudeau’s) failures on the world stage when it comes foreign affairs,” Scheer said. “We here in Saskatchewan know what has happened to our producers with canola, with beef being blocked, to so many markets. That’s why I will represent Canada with strength around the world and stand up for our agricultural sector when they’re being treated unfairly.”

A small group of climate change protesters attended the event but were not allowed inside. They instead waved a sign questioning why Scheer wasn’t at any of Friday’s climate strike events.

Scheer’s loudest cheer of the event indoors came after his final line.

“I think it’s time we have another prime minister from Saskatchewan,” Scheer said. “Wouldn’t you agree with me, ladies and gentlemen?”

Scheer’s stop in the Saskatoon West riding wasn’t an accident. It’s the only Saskatoon seat not held by a Conservative. NDP incumbent Sheri Benson is hoping to fight off Conservative Brad Redekopp for one of the few seats in the province that will be hotly contested up until Oct. 21.

Scheer is the second party leader to stop in Saskatoon this election campaign after Justin Trudeau appeared for a town-hall meeting amid a blackface controversy last week.