Article content continued

Completely ignoring the opening question about foreign policy, Scheer called Trudeau “a phoney” and “a fraud,” who doesn’t deserve to govern Canada.

He responded by talking about his frustration that Trudeau is not being held accountable.

“I believe it was necessary to drive home the point that when you have someone who can’t tell the truth, who outright lies, who has misrepresented himself in so many ways, this is someone who does not deserve to run this country.”

On Saturday night, Canadians saw the real-life effects of polarized politics and relentless personal attacks. Trudeau wore an armoured vest to an Ontario rally and was surrounded by RCMP in tactical gear after an updated risk assessment.

Scheer called it “upsetting” in a tweet, adding that, “threats of violence against political leaders have absolutely no place in our democracy.”

Photo by Jason Payne / PNG

When pressed to describe himself, Scheer said, “I’m often told I smile too much and I’m too nice. I believe that I am passionate and forceful. I am also a very nice guy and I believe that comes through …

“The question (in the election) is shaping up to: Who do Canadians trust?”

Scheer also has problems with truthfulness. Even thought he’s been in Parliament for 15 of his 40 years, it’s only during this campaign that Scheer has admitted that he wasn’t an insurance broker as his resume claimed and that he isn’t as Canadian as he’s made out to be. Scheer is a dual citizen, who only began the process of renouncing his American citizenship in August even though dual citizenship is something he has criticized other elected and appointed officials for holding.

In deciphering whether Scheer is the nice or the mean one, it’s worth a look back to his first campaign. As a 25 year-old recently arrived in Saskatchewan from Ottawa, Scheer defeated longtime NDP MP Lorne Nystrom. Late in that campaign, Scheer suggested Nystrom was soft on child pornography.

And if people can be judged by the company they keep, Scheer’s national campaign manager is Hamish Marshall, who once worked for the far-right Rebel Media. Earlier this year, Scheer spoke at the United We Roll rally in Ottawa that included white supremacists.

If Canadians are uncertain about Scheer, so too are Conservatives.

A social conservative, even one with dimples and a broad smile, was hardly the Conservatives’ first choice in 2017 to replace the austere and phlegmatic Stephen Harper.

Scheer won after 13 rounds of voting because he was the second choice of more people than Maxime Bernier was. Even then, Scheer managed only 50.95 per cent to Bernier’s 49.05 per cent.