OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is breaking with party tradition by agreeing to appear on a popular French-language TV program that traditionally garners bumper ratings.
Former Tory prime minister Stephen Harper steadfastly refused to appear on the free-wheeling ”Tout le monde en parle” talk show.
The weekly Radio-Canada program features various guests, with many of them enjoying a glass of wine as they exchange pleasantries.
A spokeswoman for Scheer says he is looking forward to the show, which will be taped later this week before being broadcast Sunday night.
Scheer was in Quebec recently to kick off a campaign of “seduction” with an eye on the 2019 federal election.
In the 2015 vote, the Liberals won 40 of the 78 seats in the province, compared with 12 for the Tories.
Jack Layton’s appearance on the program in the 2011 election campaign is credited with helping the NDP make its stunning surge in the province a few weeks later.
Current NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had his turn at the beginning of March.
