Andrew Scheer’s Risky, Reckless Foreign Policy Will Hurt Canadians

October 1, 2019

Victoria, B.C. – “Andrew Scheer would put Canada’s economy and our place in the world at risk with his reckless and divisive foreign policy. He’ll give huge tax breaks to big polluters and to the wealthiest 1%,” says University-Rosedale Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland. “Whether it’s Andrew’s Scheer’s endorsement of Brexit chaos, skepticism on climate change, corrosive rhetoric on immigration, or weakness on NAFTA, the Conservative plan amounts to risk and uncertainty that would hurt Canadians and our economy.”

“On NAFTA, Conservatives wanted us to cave in, with Stephen Harper urging Canada to capitulate to the Americans to get a deal at any cost and Doug Ford telling us to unilaterally disarm in the fight over steel and aluminum. Now, Scheer criticizes the new NAFTA, threatening to plunge Canada back into crippling economic and trade uncertainty,” said Freeland. “And after years of Conservative delay and incompetence on trade, it was Liberals who finally ratified new European and Pacific trade deals.”

Andrew Scheer’s foreign policy recklessness, risk, and division:

  • Scheer’s NAFTA weakness – Scheer supported capitulation on NAFTA, and now he wants to renegotiate the deal, threatening to plunge Canada’s economy into crippling trade uncertainty.
  • Scheer enthusiastically endorsed Brexit, inexplicably supporting economic chaos.
  • Scheer would follow Donald Trump by pulling Canada out of the Paris Climate Accord, when climate change is doing untold damage to Canada’s economy. Scheer has admitted he has no intention to meet the Paris targets, all so he can give huge tax breaks to big polluters.
  • Scheer espouses the same corrosive rhetoric about immigration and refugees that is dividing many parts of the world today.
  • And Andrew Scheer won’t even defend same-sex marriage or women’s rights here in Canada, let alone stand up for minority rights around the world.

“After ten years of failed Conservative foreign policy, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government is restoring Canada’s place in the world, including restoring and investing in Canada’s military,” said Freeland. “Canadians don’t want to go back to Stephen Harper’s failed foreign policy, and that’s all Andrew Scheer is offering.”