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- Durham Riding MP Ross Stevenson was a victim most of Canada during the federal election. Mr. election night, despite the disappointing loss. H manager Dr. Peter Zakarow (at left), wife Elaine, "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PC national campaign a factor in Stevenson's bid for re-election By Julia Dempsey Port Perry Star For Ross Stevenson, Durham Riding's Member of Parliament for the past five years, October 25, 1993 was "somebody else's day." Mr. Stevenson placed third in the riding, finishing after Liber- al candidate Alex Shepherd and Reform candidate Ian Smyth. With 15,014 votes cast in his fa- vor, he was supported by 25 per cent of the Durham Riding elec- torate who voted in the federal election. There were eight can- ~ didatesin the riding. Although disappointed, Mr. Stevenson remained in good spirits as he spoke with report- ers and party workers at his Courtice campaign office. "I'm not terribly happy," he told reporters. "But it's not a uge surprise. We expected a tough fight." He said he had talked with many of his Ontario colleagues in the days leading up to the election and the general consen- sus was that their party was in trouble. "This is a little worse than we anticipated," he added. Although he knew his politi- cal life was in danger of de- structing, Mr. Stevenson said he was unable to predict which party would win the riding in the days leading up to the elec- tion. "The tides seemed to be shift- ing," he said, adding the Reform party appeared to have the upper hand up until the last couple of days. Voters "decided in the last day or two to stop Reform," Mr. Stevenson said, adding the elec- torate decided the "best way to do that was to vote Liberal." Although local support for the Reform party appeared to di- minish, Mr. Stevenson said the party was a significant factor in. his defeat and other Progressive Conservative losses. But the Tories' national cam- paign was probably the biggest nail in the PC's coffin. "The national campaign was a negative factor for us," Mr. Stevenson said. "With a decent national campaign we could have been elected in this rid- ing." When the Star spoke with Mr. Stevenson, the Liberals already had a majority. The Bloc Quebe- cois was a strong second, while the Progressive Conservatives, 'with only two elected MPs, were avery distant third. "It's unfortunate the national parties have fallen as much as they have," Mr. Stevenson said. "It's going to make it difficult for the House of Commons to work." The picture did not get any prettier as the night pro- gressed. The PCs still only had two elected officials after mid- night and were in jeopardy of losing party status. When asked by the Star what this would mean to the party, Mr. Stevenson responded that "it just means it's a long way back. "The Liberals crashed in '84," he reminded the press. "It has taken them two elections to get bacKin power." With the NDP presently in power in Ontario and the Liber- als in Ottawa, Mr. Stevenson said the "PCs are in a favorable position for the provincial elec- tion." | Mr. Stevenson, however, would not tip his hat on whether he would be a candidate in the next provincial or federal elec- tion. "i . "I will always be involved in politics," he said, but added he couldn't say for sure if he'd be a candidate. "If the time ever comes again, it will be a family decision," he said. During the campaign, Mr. Stevenson was given tremen- dous support from his wife Elaine and children Lisa and Darryl. Before entering federal poli- tics in 1988, he served two terms in the provincial legisla- Turnto Page 8 of the Liberal tide which swept through Stevenson remained in good spirits on e is pictured above with his camnaign and daughter Lisa. dership of Jean Chretien. majority government. these achieved in Ontario. Historic night in Canada as Liberals sweep into power The voters spoke, and they spoke loudly Monday night, throwing out Prime Minister Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservative Party and embracing the Liberals under the lea- In what is being described as a "historic night" in Canada, the PCs were all but turfed out of the House of Commons, scratching out a mere two seats across the entire country. Even party leader PM Kim Campbell fell victim to the ons- laught, losing her seat in Vancouver Center, B.C. So complete was the defeat that the PCs were unable to win any seats west of the Quebec border. The Liberals on the other hand swept into power capturing 177 seats and a whopping As of early Tuesday morning, which party will become the official opposition had not been held 54 seats and Reform Party the final totals still to be determined. The NDP hobbled to the finish line with nine seats, none of decided as the Bloc Quebecois one behind with 53 seats with Both the PC and NDP lose their official party status as they were unable to capture the minimum 12 seats. 103. Durham Riding New Democrats drop to fourth "J. Peter Hvidsten Port Perry Star Despite a disappointing show- ing in the Durham Riding, NDP candidate Lucy Rybka- Becker says it's not the end of the road for her political career. Ms. Rybka-Becker told The Port Perry Star Monday night she thoroughly enjoyed the campaign and will be happy to carry the flag for her party again in the next election. When the Star arrived at the NDP election headquarters in Bowmanville shortly after the polls closed Monday night, Ms. Rybka-Becker and her support- ers were in an upbeat mood. Among the dozen supporters on hand was Durham East Riding MPP Gord Mills, who sat quietly four feet from a TV screen watching the results coming in. Ms. Rybka-Becker's campaign manager, Andrew Lauer, pre- sented her with a dozen red roses and a big hug to show his appreciation for her efforts dur- ing the campaign, much to the delight of the small gathering. As the results began to dribble in, Ms. Rybka-Becker told The Star the reason she became involved in this election was "because of her concern for the future of the residents of Durham Riding. "I have very strong feelings about making the community a better place to live," she said. Ms. Rybka-Becker said that although the NDP was not doing well, the party brought forward many important issues during the election campaign. "Things like Medicare, social programs, women's. issues, the environment and NAFTA were just some of the important issues we raised," she said. Saying the NDP ran a great campaign, Ms. Rybka-Becker said her only hope is that the NDP could hold onto our core support. "We've been down before, but we have good grass- roots support and have no doubt we'll bounce back," she said. * Speaking about the 47 days of campaigning, Ms. Rybka-Becker said it had been a very enjoy- able experience. "I've been through a whole range of emo- tions, both highs and lows, but the experience has been good," she said. a. Calling her party the social conscience of the country, Ms. Rybka-Becker said her biggest concern was the movement of the electorate to the right. The NDP captured only 2,519 votes of the 60,289 cast in the Durham Riding. 23" i: JN il Lucy Rybka-Becker, NDP candidate for Durham Riding is seen watching the returns with Ontario MPP Gord Mills at their campaign office in Bowmanville Monday night. Mr. Mills gives a positive thumbs up signal even though the party fell far short of their expectations In this election. i tet --.--------------