OTTAWA–Andrew Scheer’s campaign confirmed Thursday that the Conservative leader is a citizen of both Canada and the United States, but say he’s in the process of renouncing his American citizenship.Scheer was born in Ottawa, but holds a U.S. passport obtained by his American father when he was a child. The Conservative campaign said Thursday afternoon that he had not renewed the passport as an adult.Simon Jefferies, a spokesperson for the Conservative campaign, said that Scheer decided to renounce his U.S. citizenship once he became the party’s leader in May 2017.But Jefferies added that Scheer only informed the U.S. government of his intentions in August, a month before the federal election campaign began.“Like millions of Canadians, one of Mr. Scheer’s parents was born in another country and immigrated to Canada to start a family,” Jefferies said in a written statement.“Once Mr. Scheer became leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, he decided he would renounce his U.S. citizenship before the election.”To renounce U.S. citizenship, an applicant must appear in person before a U.S. diplomatic officer or at a U.S. embassy and sign an oath of renunciation. The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa is 4.8 kilometres away from Stornoway, the official residence of the Opposition leader.“He has submitted his paperwork and is currently waiting for confirmation from the embassy that he is no longer a dual citizen,” Jefferies said.Jefferies confirmed that Scheer did file income tax returns with the U.S. government, as required by law, but said he has never voted in a U.S. election.Scheer is the latest in a line of Canadian political leaders who held dual citizenship. Former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair and former Liberal leader Stephane Dion each faced sharp criticism from their political rivals for holding French citizenship.“Just to be clear, these cases have come up in the past, and obviously it’s for Mr. ...
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