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There‘s also an historical perspective to Wednesday‘s announcement. With his resignation coming in the last week of February, there is still ample time for the Progressive Conservatives to hold a leadership convention in the second week of June. And it was in this same week exactly a decade ago that Mulroney emerged as the new Tory leader. Just a few weeks ago, those cabinet members who were tooling up their elecâ€" tion machines for a run at the leadership were told to go slow. Now these same ministers will be calling their forces into high gear again. There are a few frontâ€"runners in the early race including Perrin Beatty and defense minister Kim Campbell. Beatty has spent all of his working life as a politician and would seem to have an outside chance, at best, to become the new PC leader. If he was successful, he would lead the party to a crushing defeat that would also mark the end of his political career and he‘s too young to let that happen...yet. If the Tories are smart, and that‘s conceding much to all political parties, they will go with Campbell. She‘s bright, capable has an engaging personality and she‘s a woman. Talk about luck. The Tories may yet go down to defeat later this year but Campbell is their best hope to deâ€"rail Chretien and the Liberals who could form a minority govâ€" ermment after the election dust has settled. Mulroney was billed as a winner when he came into the party leadership and he left a winner having delivered two majority governments. That‘s a tough act to follow for any politician aspiring to the country‘s top job. Mulroney is also a pragmatic kind of guy. With polls not improving very much over the past year, he knew that it was unlikely he could win the next fedâ€" eral election. And worse than losing, would be the humiliation of possibly being annihilated at the polls and having to sit in Opposition across from Liberal leadâ€" er Jean Chretien. It‘s rare indeed to have a prime minister and former prime minister leave polâ€" itics in the same week but that‘s what has happened. Joe Clark told his Alberta riding association that he wouldn‘t be running in the next federal election. That was on Feb. 20th. Cynics might conclude that Mulroney waited for Clark to finally make up his mind before resigning. The theory behind this logic is that Mulroney didn‘t want to resign only to have Joe Clark emerge from the ashes to lead the party into another federal election. Aside from Mulroney‘s dislike for Clark, he wanted to leave the party in the hands of a new era of Tory politicians. In making his decision Wednesday, Mulroney has ensured that this will now be the case. Timing, they say, is everything in politics and Mulroney is no stranger to good timing. He swept into power in 1984 with a devastating victory over the Liberals and its leader John Turner, once thought of as the heirâ€"apparent to Pierre Trudeau and the rightful place of the Grits as the leaders of the country. Four years later, Mulroney went to the polls again and again he emerged vicâ€" torious, again at the expense of John Turner who then threw in the towel as Liberal leader. whether or not the Prime Minister would step down before the next federal election which must be held some time this year. But any talk of resignation during a time when the issue was in the headlines, ran contrary to Mulroney‘s personality. He did things his way in his own good time. It was vintage Brian Mulroney. For months there had been speculation about Who would you like to win the Oakvilleâ€"Milton Federal Liberal Riding Association â€"Mohan Anand, David Bazar, Bonnie Brown or Bruce Hood? Ian Oliver Publisher Robert Glasbey Advertising Director Norman Alexander Editor Geoff Hill Circulation Director Teri Casas Office Manager Tim Coles Production Manager Mohan Anand â€" 5 David Bazar â€" 4 Bonnie Brown â€" 120 Bruce Hood â€" 972 % RESULTS OF LAST WEEK‘S POL 467 Speers Road, Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 824 Fax: 845â€"3085 Should Oakvilleâ€"Milton MP Otto Jelinek, the Minister of Revenue, run for the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservatives? Classified Advertising: 845â€"2809 Circulation: 845â€"9742 or 845â€"9743 Cast your ballot by calling 845â€"5585 box 5008 to vote yes or no. Callers have until 12 noon Thursday to register their vote. Results of the poll will be published in the next Friday edition of the Oakville Beaver. My husband, and I, attended the Feb. 11th, 1993 meeting held by the Halton District Health Council and listened to comment after comment of peoples‘ input on this situation. After all was said and done, I felt as did a number of other people... that a decision had already been made. Minority government only hope for Canada Dear Sir: I am a mother of two small children and very concerned about the possible closure of the Oakvilleâ€" Trafalgar Memorial Hospital‘s Paediatric unit. I was angry and confused that in a community such as Oakville, with a population that is young and growing in size, that they could even consider closâ€" ing down a vital part of the hospital or having a care unit centralized. The next day, I was on the telephone talking to the Mayor of Oakville and Burlington to see what I Dear Sir: Lately the locai Liberal Party has been getting a lot of ‘ink, not to mention the vacillations of Mr. Chretien, their National Leader. Surely the local populace hasn‘t forgotten how this country got into the mess it now finds itself, with a staggering debt and no hope of ever shedding this cross we bear. This is the party that gave us Petroâ€"Canada with its present $15â€"billion dollar debt, and an Energy Policy that was a disaster looking for a place to happen. Their culpability is only exceeded by their lack of acuity. People power needed to save paediatric unit How soon we forget the billions of dollars wasted on a bilingual program that forced manufacturers in more added costs for a bilingual label in areas where no French was spoken. And what about the insane and precipitously concocted Metric conversion proâ€" gram ... perhaps the greatest contributor to inflation, despite the fact that our biggest trading partner is still using the Imperial system! And what about that great leap forward ... the Young Offenders Act; which puts teen murderers back into a community after three years in comfortâ€" able surroundings. In the area of Justice, the word Liberal meant just that‘.:. be more liberal with the The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be signed and include the writer‘s address and phone number. Letters should be typed, doubleâ€"spaced and addressed to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont. L6K 3S4 They both stated how important it is to keep up on all the details that are printed, attend further meetings, but above all write our concerns to the consultant in charge. Myself, I still wanted to do more. I am starting a petition in the Oakville, Burlington area, and hope I can get thousands of sigâ€" natures, but time is short. I am calling my petition "HOPE" which stands for â€" Help for Oakville‘s Paediatrics‘ Existence. Maybe one person alone can‘t make a difference, but together we have a chance. criminal. I could go on ang_on ... blatant patronage only exceeded by the present moribund Tory bunch ... the excessive use of taxpayers‘ money to prop up losers, like the Tar Sands. The Canadian Public want accountability, not vague answers to the serious problems of this counâ€" try. How can we possibly trust a leader who obviates the democratic process of selecting Constituency candidates, by parachuting his own sychophant as the Riding Candidate. could do to make a difference. If anyone would be interested in helping me, please contact 681â€"0723 and, perhaps, we could put together a small group to fight against this terrible situation. Remember all those Crown Corporations this Party gathered under its fiscal wing? Do you rememâ€" ber the year they gave the President of a Canadian Aircraft manufacturer a hefty bonus for losing half a million dollars that year? I have been a card carrying Liberal and a Tory, not to mention serious consideration at one time of voting for the National Disaster Party, but no more! For decades these three traditional Parties have erodâ€" ed the democratic process by constantly disregarding the wishes of their constituents. It is time for a minority government that includes some new ideas ... don‘t buy a ticket to the last train to Nowhere. ie R. G. Richardson Meaze.»: Lisa Marshall