What Did Andrew Scheer Do Before Politics? Insurance Wasn't His Only Job
As the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, it is pretty hard to imagine Andrew Scheer being anything other than a politician! Whilst it is well-known that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau started his career as a teacher, the jobs that Scheer did before he became a party leader are talked about a little less. So, we wondered what did Andrew Scheer do before politics? Well, now we know the answers.
Andrew Scheer was born in Ottawa in 1979, where he lived with his parents, Mary and James, and his two sisters. Unlike Trudeau, Scheer did not come from a political background, as his mother was a pediatric nurse, and his father was a librarian at the Ottawa Citizen newspaper.
Andrew Scheer got his first job at just nine years old, as a newspaper delivery boy in his hometown. Speaking as an adult, Scheer said that it was actually this first job that inspired his interest in politics!
While he claims to have known from as early as 9-years-old that he wanted to work in the world of politics, Scheer had to do a few more jobs before he could start looking at running to be Prime Minister!
By the time Scheer was attending high school at Immaculata, an Ottawa Catholic school, he was also working on a concession stand at Ottawa sporting events. When he wasn’t helping out on sports days, Scheer was waiting tables in a local restaurant. By 2002, Scheer had moved to Regina to be with his now-wife, Jill Ryan.
Scheer studied a BA in history and political science, that he started in the University of Ottawa and completed in the University of Regina. During his studies, Scheer worked at Dan bry’s restaurant (now Crave Kitchen in Regina’s downtown).
By 2003, Scheer was married and graduated. He took a job as an insurance broker at his friend’s company for a brief period, but quit to pursue a career in politics.
By the age of 25, Scheer had been elected as the Conservative MP for Regina - Qu’Appelle, defeating NDP MP Lorne Nystrom, who was the longest-serving MP at the time. Scheer went on to win re-election in 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2015. As of 2011, Scheer also became the Speaker of the House of Commons, and was the youngest person to ever take up that position in Canada!
Although he was re-elected again in 2015, the Conservatives actually lost power to the Liberals, meaning that his term as the Speaker had ended. When then-leader Stephen Harper resigned, Scheer decided to pursue his job!
By May 2017, Scheer was officially declared the leader of the Conservative Party in Canada, with nearly 63,000 votes in the final round of counting.
So before he got to where he is today, Scheer worked in a number of professions, including paper-delivery, insurance and as a waiter!
Despite his already-extensive work experience, we will have to wait until October 21 to find out if he can add Prime Minister onto his resume!
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