Old websites that appear to belong to Andrew Scheer say he was an insurance broker. File photo by Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press

Two archived websites show that Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer has been misrepresenting his experience in the insurance industry since before he even got into Parliament 15 years ago.

On andrew2004.com, what appears to be Andrew Scheer’s campaign site during his first parliamentary run for the 2004 federal election, his bio says he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program” before working at Shenher Insurance in Regina, Saskatchewan. An IP address showing a Regina location is linked to the website for about a year from April 2004 onwards.

The Conservatives did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Liberal Party MP Marco Mendicino flagged the 2004 website in a letter of complaint to the General Insurance Council of Saskatchewan (GICS). The letter argues that it’s against the law in Saskatchewan to represent yourself as an insurance broker if you don’t have a licence.

Scheer told the CBC last month that he completed only one of four courses, or “modules,” associated with the program.

“In order to use the CAIB designation, all four modules would need to be completed successfully,” Insurance Brokers Association of Canada (IBAC) director of operations Liz Scott said in an email.

The Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan (IBAS) CEO Derek Lothian also confirmed to the Toronto Star that Scheer only finished one “accredited course with the IBAS that would form part of the eligibility requirements for licensing”—meaning he has never worked as a licensed insurance broker.

When Scheer ran for party leadership in 2017, his bio also said he “passed the Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker program.” The IBAS did not respond to several requests for comment.

Months after Scheer won his first parliamentary race in June 2004, another website appearing to be Scheer’s official MP page (on Blogspot!) contained a bio explicitly claiming that Scheer worked as an “insurance broker” in Saskatchewan. (The subject matter of the posts contains everything from journal entries to a post questioning the decision to name Michaelle Jean as Governor General back in August 2005. Ironically, that post points out Jean’s dual citizenship as something that might “bother” Canadians. Scheer, as was revealed last week, holds dual U.S.-Canada citizenship himself. Whoops.)

According to Ron Fullan, executive director the GICS, you can only apply to be a fully licensed broker after completing the first module. Scheer admitted last month that he never applied for a licence because he left the industry for politics. Shenher Insurance declined to comment for this story.

But the CPC website still says Scheer was “an insurance broker,” ostensibly in an effort to show off his private sector experience as the Canadian everyman.