Former Speaker of the House of Commons and longtime Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer has been elected the next leader of the federal Conservative party, the position which has been open since Stephen Harper stepped down after the 2015 federal election.

Each candidate received a number of points depending on their share of votes in ridings across Canada and it came down to the 13th and final ballot to declare Scheer the winner of the leadership, taking the decision with 51% of the points at the leadership convention in Ontario on Saturday.

The first Saskatchewan politician to lead the Conservative Party of Canada since John Diefenbaker, the Regina-Qu'appelle MP edged out longtime front-runner Maxime Bernier.

He defeated 12 other candidates along the way.

While campaigning in Saskatchewan for the national leadership, Scheer talked about his priorities. "I am the only candidate that's talking about staying true to our Conservative values, but finding a new way to connect with people."