Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 28, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press editor Doug Speirs 6977294 inside Urban Manitoba v e m b e r Rural Manitoba Anita Neville kept former for the Alliance will Send two new eign affairs minister Lloyd faces to but failed to Axworthy Riding in the Liberal Knock off Rick Boro Tsik in the fold b2 Only tory seat in Manitoba b3 the National scene grits regain Atlantic Alliance catches fire across the major disappointment for tories the numbers Complete poll results from coast to coast the wrap free press columnists Paul Samyn and David Kuxhaus give their take on the election Ryan Remiorz Canadian press Canadian Alliance Leader Stockwell Day bows his head while his wife Valerie looks away during a speech thanking his supporters last night in Day fails to deliver to Chretien made grits vulnerable but Alliance was unable to capitalize analysis Jean the prime min called this late fall elec Tion to take advantage of a robust Economy and a disorganized Chretien Gam bled his most pressing the Canadian would be hopelessly muddled through the Campaign and that would pay off for him when voters finally cast their Chretien also gambled that various Quebec and the maritime in were primed for a grit that turned out to be a Brilliant Strat particularly As Chretien himself was he was not the Choice of Many in his party to Lead the charge into he was dogged by allegations of and by Call ing the election just three and a half years into the past he was open to charges he was More concerned about his own place in history than with the country but just As Chretien played a Gamble and so Stockwell Day failed to capitalize on his Early hot on the heels of a leadership race which gave Day huge National the Alliance seemed to have More than a fighting Chance of punishing Chretien at the the Alliance and Day him self turned out not to be up to the Chal Day failed to capture either the imagination or the Trust of the elec and the alliances stumbling Campaign serves As the Hall Mark of this the first Alliance stumble came when the party failed to nominate a full slate of 301 As it was a Harbinger of future Day needed to prove not Only that the Alliance was a National alter a but that is was a party of the mid accessible to a majority of the Alliance delivered slip upon slip on the Campaign treating a sceptical Media a steady diet of hot Button the party platform and the briefing notes Given to its candidates seemed at Day was unable to Stem embarrassing statements by his candidates including the asian invasion Gaffe by win Nipges Betty and he found himself defending religious views far away from mainstream deep divisions the election served notice deep divisions remain in the politics of the country and As there is no National alternative to the Liberal the Alliance made but Only by consolidating its support in the although it gained voters in its failure to make a breakthrough in Ontario left it not much better off than the Reform the Alliance performance showed Stockwell Day no closer to the dream of uniting conserva Tive voters than was his Preston it an election that Only a hardcore grit could really it was the Nastiest Campaign in living memory with All sides slagging each it was not just that Stockwell Days religious views came into nor the accusations that the Alliance had a hidden the Campaign saw Stockwell Day alleging the possibility of criminal behaviour by the prime Joe Clark joining in and Alexa Mcdonough calling Day a the issues became for the the election was not a Triumph nor a moral in the dogged determination of the progressive conservatives to remain on the political albeit in a reduced is proof enough that Days Effort to unite the right was a and in that failed Mission is the very real possibility the Alliance May have reached its Pinnacle in this for the the result is also it will go Down in the history books As a but one that says Little More than the country wants its tax the Liberal Deal of healthcare and a party in Power that is not the what else the country thinks about the size of government or How to spend the surplus was lost in the in the absence of a Clear alternative to the voters have Given them the political equivalent of a Blank How it will be spent by a Liber Al and even who leads that Are questions that will not be answered for at least three More during the election the prime minister mused about leaving with his bigger who knows what message he will think he has except for Alliance few surprises in Manitoba by Sean Oconnor Only one Riding changed hands in Manitoba last night As Vic the former provincial Justice unseated lib eral David i Tody in a result that ran counter to the country As a otherwise there were few sur Prises As Manitoba remained the Only province with maps from four major despite i Todys the province continued to Lay a claim to the liberals last real foothold in the returning five of six seats to the governing allowing it maintain at least the illusion of remaining a National the new seat gained by the Alliance allowed that fledgling in an otherwise dark to brag of Overall continued please see few surprises b4 ;