I have often described myself as socially liberal and economically conservative.
But what does such a person do when the choices you have are for a mildly socially conservative, fiscally conservative candidate, or a socially liberal candidate who blows money and grows government like a drunken sailor? Neither candidate is perfect, but you have to hold your nose and vote for one of them.
Normally, I would decide based on what I think is the lesser evil at the time. A big spender might be more tolerable when the economy is good, the global economy is fine, and the debt is low. A social conservative would be terrible in a time where there are increasing tensions between groups and a generally restrictive and intolerant populace persecuting visible minorities.
On the other hand, if there are economic storm clouds everywhere and your deficit is already huge and growing, and most of the threats to civil society and freedom are coming from the ‘social liberals’ (hate speech laws, freedom of association attacks, etc), then it becomes an easier choice.
Trudeau could not manage our finances during a time of relative well being and a reasonable economy. He promised a balanced budget in 2019, but instead we have a deficit about twice as large as he promised the deficit would ever go. And it wasn’t because of a crisis or something unforseen - it was because of choices his government made.
And we have very little to show for that money. Having that idiot in charge when a major financial collapse or other crisis comes along is terrifying. And also, he really needs to be punished for breaking his election promises so badly - not just on finances, but on a lot of things that matter to the left as well.
Also, let’s admit that if Trump got caught in an SNC-Lavalin type affair, you’d all be screaming for impeachment. Yet you’re willing to vote for Trudeau, who clearly tried to strong-arm an attorney general into twisting the law for a favored constituent, then destroyed her career when she wouldn’t play ball, but he has shown almost no remorse for what he did. That simply can’t be rewarded.
Scheer is not Trump. He’s not an old reactionary, or a racist. He’s a modern conservative in the mainstream tradition. I don’t like all his policies, and if he was running against someone like Paul Martin and the old liberals, they might get my vote. But Trudeau is a dangerous man-child of a leader who continually embarrasses Canada on the world stage and makes stupid decisions at home. He is also in the process of creating a new western separatist movement with his clear favoritism of the east, as seen in his willingness to break the law to save a few hundred jobs in Quebec while being almost indifferent to 180,000 jobs being lost in the prairies due to government choices.