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Andrew Scheer must have known there would be days like these. He’s been under pressure to clarify his position on same-sex marriage and abortion, amid growing evidence that he is becalmed in the polls.

Of the 79 public polls in the past six months, the Conservatives have been leading in 65 of them. Yet, it is Justin Trudeau’s Liberals that appear to have the momentum, despite the ethics commissioner’s report into the SNC-Lavalin scandal earlier this month. Allegations about Scheer’s innate social conservatism have not helped in this regard.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Ivison: Andrew Scheer goes at his critics head-on over gay marriage and abortion Back to video

The Conservative leader decided to address the issue head-on in a press conference in Toronto on Thursday, saying Trudeau can’t run on his record so is dredging up divisive issues that were settled by Parliament 14 years ago.

A video of Scheer’s views on same-sex marriage as a callow rookie MP in 2005 was released by Liberal Ralph Goodale last week (it should be noted, incidentally, that Goodale also opposed changing the legal definition of marriage in parliamentary votes in 1995 and 1999).