Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 31, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba I 1 a co Winnipeg free october a3 Dein fists Fly yes and no supporters clash after razor thin win by Dan Lett National reporter Montreal the yes defeat burning on their strode silently towards their the Quebec flags waving slowly but determinedly in a show of Defi it was the kind of confrontation police had All night outside the no committee a downtown nightclub called Metropolis on the famed catherines the tension was almost too much to Montreal police riot officers moved quickly into separating the two crowds but signalling a Long night of continued tension Between the yes and the no separated by a single percentage Point in one of the most historic votes in Canadian following the no the ten Sion erupted in sporadic con a dozen supporters from both sides came to blows last As the two sets congregated at Laurent Boulevard and the traditional Divide Between Eastern and Western Mon the scuffles erupted near the the downtown club where the no Side was celebrating its razor thin a line of police officers in riot gear was keeping everyone away from the front of the numer Ous supporters from both Camps pushed and shoved each cursed one another and made obscene Many store owners in the area had already boarded up the win Dows to their shops in anticipation of were said souvenir shop owner Orien we need everything police we rent Able to contain yes and no who headed toward the downtown shopping District on catherines armed with hockey stones and everything else they could get their hands the idea was to get them said Paul its been relatively the Joy has to come out As Well As the the which is surrounded by tiny patisseries and rated movie was an unlikely scene for the no committee head but by the end of the the nightclub was put to Good use As Rock music blared and the faithful danced like there was going to be a tomorrow in a United we Are so said Michael Cote As he wiped the sweat away from his but you theres a huge message that we have to take from this its really a Victory for a change and change for the whole of Cana i dont think Well get Many More chances to make this for Many of those gathered in the no it was that sense of having averted a disaster that few were smug about the tightly fought it was so i cant believe said Marilyn Damour Guil in 65 years old and i have been through 40 years of politics Here and in Canada and i have never seen results so were not finished its going to be difficult but if we Are going to stay in we must work hard to sol jigging in place and clapping with the said he could barely last until the anticipation was ended and the no Side As a Canadian and a human Ive never seen anything like what a Silvano whose parents were immigrants from said although he is not politically he Felt it his duty to show up at the nightclub to show his support for the no in the last i was Only 12 years old and there want much for me to Santini if we lost and i want i stand i want to come and the no Victory put to an end a Day of incredible by Early the scene out Side the nightclub was pure chaos As hundreds of supporters who were unable to get in clamoured for a space inside the trendy Down town night although Only a couple of Hun dred supporters were allowed inside with the throng of Media and television technical they More than made up for the Lack of numbers with almost nonstop cheering at every twist and turn in the nights polling the very Walls of the nightclub Shook each time the no support when support the crowd grew quiet and at the crowd appeared As if it were watching thoroughbreds running at the race cheer ing on each surge in the no vote As if their support could push the number Ever Early the crowd watched in utter horror As the yes Campaign showed stretching its plurality to More than votes and their percentage Lead to More than 10 by Eastern the tide turned in the no committees sending the crowd into unbridled Celebration which rocked the nightclub and sent the Interior temperature soaring on what was undoubtedly the coldest night of the year in Parizeau yes supporter says continued from a1 i did not think Parizeau was very diplomatic by saying those said yes supporter Luc it sounded racist to others said Parizeau speech was an and even separatist commentators were Quick to distance themselves from the premiers pointing instead to Bouchard More conciliatory speech As the True measure of the yes sides whose leadership brought the yes Side within a percentage Point of Victory after it trailed far behind Early in the Cam consoled supporters at yes the next time will come much More quickly than we an emotional Bouchard told thousands of devastated separatists gathered at the Montreal convention Cen keep because the next time will be the right the Canadian problem remains Bouchard said As the Flag waving crowd there Are those in Ottawa who think they have an open there it did not take Quebec Liberal Leader Daniel Johnson Long to capitalize on Parizeau this at a Crossroads in Quebec i would like to speak to All he told the cheering crowd at the no Campaign a passionate Johnson spoke of the vote confirming Quebe cers profound desire for change with in the Canadian Constitution and a Victory for democracy in prime minister Chretien said canadians have to recognize the distinct character of to All canadians i say that a majority of Quebe cers have Cho sen in part because of the incredible outpouring of Good feel ing and Goodwill from across the he the time has come to put aside what divides and to the government of Quebec i say the time has come to work together to turn a new to the Premier of i say 1 am reaching out my let us work the win for the no forces was anything but More than 95 per cent of the polls had to be counted before a result was even it was the narrowest of the official result had the no forces with per cent of the Bouchard is joined by his Audrey last popular vote and the yes Side with the on percent Victory rep resents just under voters out of a total of nearly for Johnson and it was not Only a Victory for the soul of it was a Victory for their own political lives As pundits had predicted dire consequences for both in the event of a yes for it was a crushing defeat that May have extinguished the dream for the 30year Veteran of the separatist it was a night of political drama that few would Ever at approximately East Ern time the tide turned suddenly in favor of the no sending the supporters gathered in a Down town nightclub into a boisterous release of emotion from having watched pensively for 90 minutes As the yes forces carried the Early it had been a horse race of incredible As the television networks carrying the results were forced to track the developments by hundredths of a percentage the plurality at times was no More than two or three thou Sand there was an air of expectation and fear in the air of Montreal streets in the hours before the polls it was Clear that regardless of which Side emerged the course of Quebec and Canadian history would be forever passions ran deep and emotional outbursts were always close to the Large groups of no supporters walked the streets of downtown Montreal waving huge Canadian calling on motorists to honk in support of a United but yes supporters were also out in and crowds of Young peo ple with their faces painted with Bright Blue Fleurdelis poured into the City and oui oui oui at times the two sides causing angry this country is yelled one Young waving a Fleurde Lis into rus hour traffic on catherines never never yelled Back another who had a Maple Leaf pinned to his the two continued Yelling in front of horrified began hitting each police officers arrested both who were applauded by their respective supporters As they were led by after 45 minutes of holding the Slimmest of the no forces began to chant the infamous hockey song known Well to fans at the Montreal forum goodbye with More than 95 per cent of the polls hav ing All Quebec was drenched with tension As open line radio and television talk shows tracked the apprehension of Quebe cers and police were put on full Alert All Over the Island of Montreal and prepared for rioting and violence that was expected to break out regardless of the out sporadic reports of albeit Small and were heard on local radio and the threat of violence was heightened As East and West Mon Treal voted in opposing fashion the former strongly yes and the latter just As strongly supporters of the yes and no factions clash in Montreal last night after premiers reject talks on the Constitution continued from a1 Harcourt and Klein agreed they dont want another endless round of constitutional but while the premiers extended an Olive Branch to Parizeau was talking its True that weve been defeat by what basically by Money and the ethnic that he added bloc quebecois Leader Lucien Bouchard next time could come More quickly than we hundreds of yes and no supporters taunted one another in downtown Montreal and a dozen came to in a cheering throng of no supporters greeted the prime minister As his motorcade pulled up to parliament they chanted and Sang the National Anthem As Chretien aides whisked him inside to deliver his while everyone agrees on the need for change after yesterdays its less Clear How that change can be Quebec constitutional demands have historically hinged on Dis Tinct society other pre while offering support for toothless recognition of Quebec unique would Likely continue to insist on the Equality of the it is almost certain the parti quebecois government would never agree to such terms and sign the even Romanow acknowledged the difficulties is it possible Ever to have the pm accept anything except Independence he Filmon continued to say no to a return to the constitutional my preference is that we Start with the administrative arrange ments first because those Are the things we can move on quickly and that dont need the overtones and complications of constitutional and can be done for the Benefit of Quebec and the entire Filmon pointed to lowering of Trade barriers and ending Duplica Tion and government overlap As two ways to immediately improve the country without constitutional Yukon Leader John Ostashek said Many of Quebec concerns can be dealt with without making constitutional we All want More he male e often 95 escort in 3 air 8 cd 3 Only As Low As 95 explorer 4x4 2 Auto overdrive j m tilt much More Smyj 4di 95 grand Marquis is pm dual air bags More 5 to choose from lift to life your Choice 95 mystique with pfc dual tinted Glass 96 f250 4x4 Turbo loaded 3 to choose from your Choice 94 Cougar xr7 2 sport loaded 94 Crown Victoria 4 loaded 2 Only your Choice 94 probe 2 Hatchback loaded 94 Ranger ext cab air much More 93 Sable is 95 f150 super cab captains 2 Only your Choice 95 Aero trac 4x4 Quad c j 3 Only your Choice 95 Sable is 4 door loaded 4 to choose from your Choice 95 win Star 7 locks 2 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