Andrew Scheer Conservative government would be a 'disaster' for Vancouver, says mayor
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 13:16:56 +0000
In a rare move for a municipal leader, Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart has come out against Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives ahead of the federal election, saying he would be a “disaster” for the city.
Stewart released a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying that he has met with the other leaders to talk about key issues facing Vancouver such as housing and transit but, despite repeated invitations, Scheer refuses to meet with him.
Stewart says he’s worried that Scheer’s government would be “a disaster for the city,” saying he read through his platform and was “shocked.”
Stewart says on housing, expert analysis released just days ago shows that Scheer would make housing less affordable for Vancouver, and his planned $18 billion cut to infrastructure would kill the plan for SkyTrain to UBC.
Stewart also claims Scheer would halt progress on the overdose crisis.
Stewart, a former NDP MP, has met with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to discuss issues such as housing, transit, and opioids. He said each leader expressed a willingness to work with Vancouver, except Scheer, who refuses to meet with Stewart.
The mayor has not endorsed any one leader or party.
“I want to be clear, I am not telling you who to vote for. But if you care about these issues—and I know most of you do—Andrew Scheer would be worse than Stephen Harper,” said Stewart.
Postmedia has reached out to Scheer’s communication staff for a response to the mayor’s comments.
To be clear: not telling people who to vote for.
But I do want to tell people in Vancouver that if you care about housing, transit and opioids – and I know most people do – Andrew Scheer would be worse than Stephen Harper.#cdnpoli #vanpoli #elxn43
ticrawford@postmedia.com