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WHTTBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1988, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN electhen. ea hs h mncpléecini vr Virtually every commentator has noted the extreme volatility of the electorate. Major shifts have occurred in preis e lections (such as the lest one when the Liberals dropped from a clear majority to the worst defeat in their history) but neyer has there been a shift as dre2matic, in just a few days, as the one that followed the leaders' debâte. Obviously free trade wes a bubble waiting to be burst. Lots of people said they supported it, but there was no ... ..I conviction behind it. When asked why, they had no answer. The Tories failed to provide much more than - "It's good for Canada, trust us." And meanwhile, the Liberals and NDP -- were whipping up the opposition. The violence at a Liberal rally in Montreel on Sunday is a symptom of the times. This election is the first in years that bas been fough on a key issue. Both sides are frustrated at having to adjust their strategies daily in face of a moving ---- target. That bas led to "negative"i campaigning and inevitably to the violence last Sunday. The last few days of this cam- paign may be the ugliest Canada bas seen in over fifty years. The obvious reason for the volatility is a general lack of " 7& " confidence and respect for ahl the political parties. The free ._......._._.._.............__...... trade debate has not helpod that, indeed it has accentuated the distrust. In the United States, negative camppaigning in the recent presidential lection resulted in the lowest voter tumnout in 50 years - only 51% - the voters simply tuned out. Canadiens are not stupid. They can see that free trade is not black and white - there are positives on both sides, there are negatives on both sides. The more you examine it, the more unanswered questions, the more maybe's, there are. The free trade agreement comes down to an act of faith - do you trust the goodwill and intentions of the Aniericans? The accusations eech side is hurling at each other - of lying, of being unpatriotic, cf selling out or whatever - make good press but little else. They are untrue, they do not help the debate and they turn off the voters. Unlike the American election though, Canadians have too much at stake for themi to simply not vote; I think we will see one of the highest turnouts in years. - ' The most dramatic shifts have been in Quebec which. bas a long history cf swing voting. Perhaps it is a quirk in their collective psyche, but Quebec usually backs the winner. Quebec politics is like no other part of Canada. Ive always ____ k 41Y been an avid observer of politics and still have files cf lection resuits from over twenty years ago. Results from Quebec are . unlike any other part of the country - there are very few close ... ..... races and the margins of victory are exceptionally wide. In ...... .......- --- Ontario, the winner will usually get somewhere between ~D MNO AKBIDNBOKADDNA TET,10 40-6% c th voe; n Qebe, te wnne iny esil ~>>11This branch of the Dominion Bank, the first outside of Toronto, was built in 1874 and served 80%. A mergin of victory of 10 to 1 is net unheard of. Any as a a bank until 1970. It is now the office cf Family Trust Real Estate. James Holden, of so-called loyalty te a "native son" like Mulroney on the one Whitby was one cf the founders cf this bank, in 1871. hand, or te the Liberals on the ether, is only as strong as htyAciepoo the "high roadu be "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"1 The party which bas maintained the highest tene-is the 100 YEARS AGO NDP but even they have glossed over the less popular from the Friday, Novernber 16, 1888 edition cf the elements cf their platforrn. After ail these years, they WHITBY CHRONICLE continue te be spooked by the NATO issue - if they faced it * Robert H. Lawder cf Whitby is trying te open a market for Canadian barley in England. square on and told the public what they believe in, they - William Burns & Co. is selling men's laced shoes for $1.62 and women's buttoned boots for might find it isn't the vote loser they think it is. $2.19 a pair. Poitics in this country is due for a change - a change te *e Mathison Brothers have purchased The Italian Warehouse grocery store on Dundas Street dealing with issues in real ternis and trusting the electorate West from R. H. Jamesen. te make informed decisions. In other words, a return to 9 Lucius R. O'Brien, noted Canadian artist, is delivering lectures at the Ontario Ladies' democracy. Lies, fabrications, and haf-truths are not the College. way te win votes. Let this election be a lesson._______________________________________