Landslide to Trudeau’s Canadian Liberal Party

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 1

Landslide to Trudeau’s Canadian Liberal Party

NZPA-Reuter Ottawa Mr Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal Party has had a resounding victory in the Canadian General Election. The Prime Minister, Mr Clark, conceded defeat early yesterday.

“I accept the decision of the electors of Canada,” he said, in an emotional farewell speech in the town of Spruce Grove, in his own Alberta constituency. Mr Clark, who held power for only six months before his defeat last December, wished the Liberals good luck and said he remained dedicated to building the country.

The Liberals won a solid majority of the 282 seats in Parliament, but their success was entirely in eastern Canada. They won only two seats west of Ontario.

According to the final unofficial results, the Liberals have won 148 seats in Parliament, against 101 for Mr Clark’s Progressive Conservatives.

The third party, the socialist New Democratic Party, has 32, five more than it won last May. One seat in Quebec will be decided later.

In a victory speech to cheering supporters, Mr Trudeau paid tribute to Mr Clark as a warrior who had

shown courage in adversity. ' “Such warriors should not be counted out of the history of this Parliament or indeed out of the his* tory of Canada,” he said. Mr Trudeau then plunged straight into remarks on foreign affairs, hailing the United States as Canada’s best friend. He said Canada, sandwiched between the United States and the Soviet Union, wanted peace between the two SuperPowers, “and we see that as an important part of our role in the world.” . Mr Trudeau, a Quebecer, also said the election results showed that his home province wanted to remain part of Canada. Quebecers are due to vote next May or June in a referendum on the plan of the provincial government, headed by Mr Rene Levesque, to secede from Canada politically while retaining close economic links. The election was called after Mr Clark’s minority, government, elected last May, was defeated two

months, ago on its budget policy. In the old Parliament, the Conservatives held 136 seats, f the Liberals, 114, the N.D.P., 27.

The fourth party, the small, Quebec-based Social Credit Party, lost all five seats it held in the last Parliament. Both Mr Clark and Mr Trudeau were re-elected to Parliament.

Two of Mr Clarke’s Ministers, the Secretary of State (Mr Macdonald) and the , Minister of Immigration (Mr Atkey), were defeated.

The Liberal victory put Mr Trudeau, aged 60, back in the Prime Minister’s office for the fourth time. He has said he will stay on for only one fiveyear term and wanted the party to choose another leader well before then.

The tough, enigmatic lawyer from Montreal served as Prime Minister from 1968 until May, 1979, when he was ousted by the Conservatives, having won three General Elections during that time.