Andrew Scheer defies the odds to become the new Conservative leader

The Conservative Party of Canada elected Andrew Scheer to be their new leader on Saturday.

#cpcldr #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/9aFSNRi4ez

— Conservative Party (@CPC_HQ) May 28, 2017

On the night, the twelve-year Member of Parliament for Regina-Qu’Appelle fought through a tight 13-ballot race against Maxime Bernier, who was considered to be a front-runner after being endorsed by former Conservative candidate Kevin O’Leary.

Bernier was living up to expectations for almost the entire evening as he stayed on top up until the 13th ballot.

In the end however, Sheer narrowly secured victory on the final ballot, beating Bernier with just 50.95% of the vote.

Throughout the race, Sheer campaigned on providing tax relief for families, balancing the budget, enforcing border laws, and pulling federal funding from universities that do not foster a culture of free speech on their campuses.

#cdnpoli #cpcldr #chefpcc #polcan pic.twitter.com/nzipntEJj1

— Conservative Party (@CPC_HQ) May 28, 2017

Scheer’s victory follows a tight race which saw a total of 16 other candidates battle it out to lead Canada’s official opposition.

During the race, three of the 16 dropped out including Kevin O’Leary.

The victory means the Conservatives can now begin to focus on 2019, when Scheer will aim to oust current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.