OTTAWA—Andrew Scheer is not setting out to remake the country.In a series of five “vision” speeches over the last two months, Scheer has charted a moderate course aimed at blunting Liberal suggestions he’s a radical.He’ll axe the Liberal government’s carbon tax, sure. But he’ll replace it with a hard cap on industrial emissions that would resemble it for most major polluters.Scheer would take a more aggressive approach with China, currently Canada’s largest rival on the world stage, with Beijing only too happy to reciprocate the federal Conservative leader’s tough talk.He wouldn’t rush to balance the budget after four years of Liberal deficit spending, promising to get back to black after five years rather than two, as he initially pledged. That’s aimed at countering attacks that, like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Scheer will cut services and put public servants out of a job.The point, according to Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos public affairs, is not so much to lay out what a Conservative government would do in Ottawa — but what it would not do.“(Scheer’s) campaign is not going to be about the Conservative vision … his campaign is going to be the anti-Trudeau,” said Bricker on Friday.“Conservatives don’t elect activist governments … for his coalition, plugging some of those holes and not planning fantastical programs from Ottawa is a good position for him.”Read more:Scheer delivers climate plan with no targetsAndrew Scheer is his ‘own person’ — but who, exactly, is he?Federal Conservatives worry as Doug Ford’s unpopularity growsBricker said Canadians are looking for three things from the Conservative leader — confidence, competence and dignity after four years of the Trudeau government.“The overall atmosphere is underperformance (from the federal government),” Bricker said. According to public polling, Sc ...
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