Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 30, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Harper ducks future plans last minute Ontario shift blamed for loss by sue Bailey c Algary ? Stephen Harper did it clearly answer yesterday when asked if he would stay on As head of the conservatives opening the door to speculation about his future. I a always willing to serve so i a going to take a Little bit of time with my family he said when asked whether he would stay. And obviously i a already talking to people across the the conservatives won 99 seats in mondays Federal election but for a Brief time during the Campaign they dared to Hope and to hint that they would win a majority. John Reynolds National co chair of the conservative Campaign said later yesterday that Harper should stay on. Its like a prize fight. Its just the first round Reynolds who won his . Seat said. Nobody a got a majority and we re going to have to have another election some time in the next Little while and i Hope he a there leading it and i expect he can win it next Harper blamed his party a disappointing results on a last minute shift in Ontario the key Battleground in any fed eral election Campaign with 106 seats up for grabs. The conservatives took 24 seats in the province the liberals 75, in a provincial Liberal stronghold that was under threat from a newly United right. Harper briefly discussed what went wrong in Ontario during a crowded scrum aboard his Campaign plane. I was bombarded with accusation of a i was hidden Agenda he bombarded said As reporters crammed in the Nar with Row air plane aisle accusation strained to hear him. There was a last of a hidden minute swing nip Agenda to Liberal Harper said. ? Stephen portraying a Cool Harper controlled Demeanour through out the Campaign Harper tried to put a moderate face on a party whose Mem Bers views Range from the extreme to the socially moderate and fiscally Pru Dent. The Liberal High octane drive to por tray Harper As an icy right Wing hard liner helped crash his Hopes Harper conceded. Nevertheless he said he a achieved one of the strongest oppositions in recent City woman a Star shines for liberals Hollywood will have to wait for Bright new my the nip that a not going to be quite enough to pass his legislation. So i think the Liberal party will obviously now have to others were More Frank in assessing Campaign missteps. We were corrected by Market forces that of a new entity that people weren to quite ready to buy in Masse yet said conservative strategist Tim Powers. Talking about a win before you have won we were is risky he added. Corrected there was a percept by Market Tible drop in tory momentum soon after forces Harper talked up his chances of forming a ? conservative majority government strategist Tim on the heels of a Powers Strong showing in the leaders debates. Growing wariness intensified with damaging headlines about plans to revamp health care in Alberta. Then there were remarks from . Conservative candidate Randy White on tory they Are the most important person in the world. The new Liberal my for Brampton Springdale was bitten by the political Bug Early in life. At the age of 10 she caught the Atten Tion of Indira Ghandi with a letter to the Indian prime minister during the siege of Amritsar a sikh holy site. Dhalla a plea for peace made International head lines and earned her an invitation from Ghandi to come to India. She declined the first invitation to recover from injuries in a car Accident and by the time she took up the second invitation it was too late. Ghandi was assassinated before Dhal la could meet her. After that Dhalla poured her Energy into the Liberal party in Canada work ing at the grassroots constituency level in Winnipeg from the age of 12. One Day Shell be prime minister because she a very intelligent said her aunt Tarinda Dhillon. memory and it will make a difference. While the other party leaders held for Mal Day after news conferences Harper had nothing scheduled holding Only a Spur of the moment scrum in the aisle of his Campaign plane almost As an after thought. He defended his party a performance since its creation in december saying it has done Well in a Short time. You know i thought wed win a few More seats. But in the end the big Pic Ture looks pretty television Crews struggled to capture the Exchange in what was widely seen As yet another Media Rebuff. It was a fitting end to a five week stretch during which he was increasingly inaccessible to journalists track ing him Cross country. Still if Harper had regrets he want saying. His party will form an opposition of historic strength and cheated Martin of a once presumed majority government he said. Now it appears to be that even with desires to override court judgments on same sex marriage. Those political Brus fires followed other internal blazes set by Eastern Ontario incumbent Cheryl Gallant and harpers confidant and former official languages critic Scott Reid. Gallant made news when she com pared abortion to the beheading of an american contractor in Iraq and said most tories would like to rescind hate crimes protections for Gays. Reid gave Harper headaches Early in the Campaign with Public musings about the need to review bilingual services. White Gallant and Reid were All re elected. Harper ended the scrum yesterday refusing to respond when asked How much his own candidates helped bolster Liberal efforts to tar the tories As extreme and intolerant. He would to discuss possible discipline or the frequency with which he was forced to protect the party from its own. ? Canadian press business leaders to keep an Eye on grit minority by Alexandra Paul a former Winnipeg girl turned out to be one of Paul Martins few Star candidates who did to crash and Burn on voting night. Quite the opposite ? Ruby Dhalla a electoral Victory in the Toronto area rid ing of Brampton Springdale was stun Ning last night for its huge margin. While much of the rest of country fought tight races Dhalla 30, Defeated her nearest rival the conservative candidate by about 8,000 votes after successfully soothing ruffled feathers in a Riding association initially suspicious of the newcomer who a been parachuted in at the prime ministers personal request. But then Dhalla is something special. She a been described As the candidate with everything a prime minister would want. She a Bright Young Active in both sikh and Liberal circles and brings health care experience and business acumen As a chiropractor with a modest Chain of clinics in Toronto where she made her Home after leaving Here. Of and she a also a glamorous Model and a rising movie Star sought after by both Bollywood and Hollywood. Her family in Winnipeg were ecstatic with her Victory. This has made the family very proud said her Uncle Winnipeg heart specialist or. Naranjan Dhalla confiding that the political stage Drew her away from the glamorous movie stage Wood. She was in the process of finalizing a contract with Hollywood. I Don to think Shell go now he chuckled reached yesterday in her Riding Dhal la said turning Down Hollywood for a Chance to be in the House of commons was a no brainer. You know what its a calling said Dhalla of politics. Her family planned All along she would run for Federal office from a Winnipeg Riding one Day. That Day came two months ago when the prime minister called her in Toronto and at first she demurred. I respect prime minister Paul Martin but it was my Uncle Paul who convinced me to run she said. Her Uncle Winnipeg travel agent Paul Dhillon said from rid ing Headquarters yesterday that Dhalla phoned him after the prime minister called apprehensive excited this has made the family very proud ? Ruby Dhalla a Uncle Winnipeg heart specialist or. Naranjan Dhalla and unsure All at the same time. I told her Don to worry i come right away. Ill help you. You have to do this Dhillon said. He was on the plane to Toronto the same night. Twenty five Winni Eggers followed mostly family and friends to organize her Campaign. Eventually others flew in from Vancou ver and London England to help out. Dhalla a family says she has Charisma by David Obrien the Liberal minority government might reflect the will of canadians but business leaders Arent convinced its Good news for the Bottom line. They re concerned the Paul Martin government May try to hold onto Power by increasing spending in an Effort to buy the support of the nip. The Liberal party won 135 seats in mondays election compared to 99 for the conservatives 54 for the bloc sub Cois and 19 nip. One Independent candidate was elected in British Columbia. The minority situation in parliament also creates a degree of political and eco nomic uncertainty that May cause entrepreneurs to postpone new spending until a More predictable political equation emerges in Ottawa said Charlie Spring ceo of Wellington West capital inc. People May not make business Deci Sions As quickly As possible Spring said. He said mondays electoral results Haven to had an Impact on Stock markets because there was no Surprise in the final outcome. Markets react to Surprise and unknowns but there was nothing unexpected Here Spring said. Jim Carr president of the business Council of Manitoba also urged the liberals to avoid raising spending in an Effort to sustain their government. The prime minister has to be vigilant to ensure he does to spend his Way into parliamentary peace Carr said. Dave Angus president of the Winnipeg chamber of Commerce said the business Community will be scrutinizing the new Liberal government to ensure it does to slip into higher debt. Paul Martins commitment to fiscal management was popular he said. We want to make sure he does to Graham Starmer president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce said minority governments Are inherently unstable and unwelcome by business Paul men. Martins How Long will their programs commitment last Starmer to fiscal asked. We thrive on management consistent program ing and i a not sure was popular the current situation lends itself to ? Dave Angus most spokesmen said they liked the conservative Promise to end subsidies and lower taxes. We liked that and we want Paul mar tin to take a serious look at lowering taxes Starmer said. Spring also said the business Community liked the Stephen Harper eco nomic Agenda and would have preferred a tory minority government because of its commitment to lower taxes and fiscal management. The Canadian Council of chief executives Canadas most influential Busi Ness organization said fiscal prudence and sound economic policies must be the top priorities of the new parliament. Thomas a Aquino the groups presi Dent warned that irresponsible spend ing and policies will Hurt investment and entrepreneurship ;