Opposition Conservatives Head Into 2020 With Fights Ahead on Three Fronts

Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer announces he will step down as Conservative leader in the House of Commons on Dec. 12, 2019. In 2020, the party not only has to choose a new leader but also figure out an effective way to move ahead. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA—In 2019, federal Conservatives sought to draw voters in their direction with the slogan: “It’s time for you to get ahead.” But they didn’t get enough of those voters to form government, and so 2020 finds the Conservatives needing to figure out how to get ahead themselves.

“There is an opportunity for the party to define or redefine itself, reconfigure its identity, figure out what it is, and then move forward,” said Semhar Tekeste, who worked for the Conservatives both in Opposition and in government, and is now a public-affairs consultant.