After rejecting calls for his resignation from within his party for weeks, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer announced Thursday that he will step down as soon as his party chooses a successor.

B次元官网网址淪erving as the leader of the party that I love so much has been the opportunity and the challenge of a lifetime,B次元官网网址� Scheer said Thursday in the House of Commons, B次元官网网址渁nd this was not a decision I came to lightly.B次元官网网址�

The decision comes less than two months after a disappointing election result for the Conservatives, in which they couldnB次元官网网址檛 capitalize on the governing LiberalsB次元官网网址� ethics record and a stunning mid-campaign revelation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had repeatedly dressed up in blackface and brownface as a younger man. The Liberals were reduced to a minority in the House of Commons but held on to power.

On Thursday, Scheer said he was proud of his time as leader, noting there are more Conservative MPs than there were before the Oct. 21 election.

B次元官网网址淲e kept our party united and strong,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e knocked the Liberals down to a minority. We increased seats all over this country.B次元官网网址�

Still, he said he is stepping down because he can no longer give it his all.

B次元官网网址淚n order to chart the course ahead, this party, this movement, needs someone who can give 100 per cent to the efforts,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that he had decided it was time to put his family first.

Scheer said he would ask the national council of the Conservative Party of Canada to begin a leadership contest.

Dustin van Vugt, the executive director of the Conservative party, said Scheer made up his mind to resign after having B次元官网网址渓ong and hard conversations with friends and familyB次元官网网址� over several weeks, and that he began to let his staff know earlier this week.

He also shed light on how the party had helped Scheer with the cost of moving his family from Regina to Ottawa once he became leader.

B次元官网网址淪hortly after Mr. Scheer was elected leader, we had a meeting where I made a standard offer to cover the costs associated with moving his family from Regina to Ottawa,B次元官网网址� van Vugt wrote in a statement Thursday.

B次元官网网址淭his includes a differential in schooling costs between Regina and Ottawa. All proper procedures were followed and signed off on by the appropriate people.B次元官网网址�

Scheer was emotional in his seven-minute speech to the House of Commons, interrupted multiple times by applause and standing ovations from his caucus. His wife Jill was in the gallery watching.

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Scheer said he plans to remain as Conservative leader until his successor is chosen rather than giving way to an interim leader. He also plans to stay on as the MP for Regina-QuB次元官网网址橝ppelle, the Saskatchewan riding he has represented since he was first elected in 2004.

He said he had a message for his fellow Conservatives as they head into the leadership race: B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 stay united.B次元官网网址�

Scheer was elected as the Tory leader in May 2017, barely besting Maxime Bernier in the contest after numerous rounds of voting.

Bernier ultimately quit the party and founded his own PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Party of Canada. He lost his seat in the October election but spent a year harrying Conservatives from the right for being too much like Liberals.

Scheer said he would stand behind whoever wins.

B次元官网网址淭hat person will have my 100 per cent support,B次元官网网址� he said.

Scheer also said the Liberals should not expect to benefit from facing an outgoing leader of the Opposition.

B次元官网网址淒uring this leadership election there will be no free rides in the House of Commons,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淲e are going to continue to be here every single day to represent our constituents, perform our duties as parliamentarians, put Canadians and Canada first,B次元官网网址� he said.

Trudeau responded by saying he and Scheer, as well as the other parents in the House, share the goal of wanting to improve things for their children.

B次元官网网址淲e are politicians, we are in this House not in spite of having kids but because we have kids and are dedicated to building a better world for them with everything we have. And I respect that deeply in him,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.

He said few know the challenges and rewards of leading a diverse party like the Conservatives or the Liberals.

Trudeau concluded by thanking Scheer B次元官网网址渄eeply for his service to Canada.B次元官网网址�

New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wanted to acknowledge the B次元官网网址渉ard workB次元官网网址� that Scheer has put into his various roles. Before leading the Conservatives, Scheer was Speaker of the House of Commons, the youngest person to hold the post.

B次元官网网址淚 think we speak as a united voice in acknowledging that and thank you for your service,B次元官网网址� Singh said.

Several prominent Conservatives in the past few weeks have called outright for ScheerB次元官网网址檚 resignation, or for him to re-apply for his job in a new leadership contest. Having not won power in October, he faced a mandatory leadership review in April.

The party has asked former Conservative cabinet minister John Baird to conduct a review of the election.

On Thursday, Baird said that work is not yet finished.

B次元官网网址淚 look forward to writing and then submitting my report when it is complete,B次元官网网址� he wrote in a message posted to Twitter, where he also thanked Scheer for his service as leader. B次元官网网址淚 hope it will inform our partyB次元官网网址檚 next campaign and provide advice to whomever the (Conservative party) membership select as leader.B次元官网网址�

The Canadian Press

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