PRINCE GEORGE
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Citizen
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
THURSDAY, MAY 17,2001
80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 50 CENTS A DAY)
Provincial results
Number of seats in B.C.
Liberals ............................76
NDP v.................................3
79 of 79 ridings reporting
P.G. North
Pat Bell • liberal...............8,844
Bryan Llewellyn - NDP 2,069
Hilary Crowley - Green ..........1,078
David Low - Unity..................809
Lisa Maskell - Western Reform... 599
Robert Grimsrud - Marijuana 545
Fred McLeod - Independent 466
Leif Jensen - Independent 74
82 of 82 polls reporting
P.G. Omineca
X Paul Nettleton - Liberal 9,980
Ed John-NDP....................2,991
Eldon Matte - Unity............1,615
David Usher - Green ..............966
William DeWolf - Marijuana 603
94 out of 94 polls X = incumbent
P.G. Mt. Robson
Shirley Bond - Liberal .... 7,675
Todd Whitcombe - NDP.............2,519
Lelani Arris - Green.............1,358
Bob Zayonc - Unity...............1,051
Andrej DeWolf - Marijuana 677
Erie Martz - Reform........................433
99 out of 99 polls
'We’re
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff
Local New Democrat candidates and party members who gathered at the Legion were disappointed but philosophical about the election results
Election 2001(X)
See stories on page 3,5,6 See editorial on page 4
INDEX
Ann Landers---- ........17
Bridge......... ........20
Business ....... , , .22-24
City, B.C........ .. .3,5,6,13
Classified ......
Comics ........
Crossword .....
Entertainment .. ........17
Horoscope..... ........20
Lifestyles....... ........17
Movies......... ........17
Nation......... ........14
Sports .........
Television...... ........17
World ......... ........14
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FACTBOX
Gordon Campbell Age: 53.
Birthplace: Vancouver. Education: Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school in New Hampshire, and Simon Fraser University. Family: Married, two sons.
Liberal landslide
RG. voters send three to Victoria
by GORDON HOEKSTRA Citizen staff
The Liberals cruised to victory in all three Prince George ridings Wednesday night, helping carry an historic Liberal landslide across B.C.
Angry local voters delivered the three Liberal candidates huge margins of victory and resoundingly turned down the New Democrats, who had held two of the three ridings for the past two terms.
“It’s time for real change,” Prince George North winner Pat Bell told a cheering crowd of more than 300 that had packed into the Ramada Hotel’s ballroom. “We’ve been stagnant, we’ve been frozen out of the economy of Canada for the last 10 years. I say never again. B.C. is open for business.”
Prince George-Omineca Liberal incumbent Paul Nettleton easily defeated Ed John, a local native leader who, although unelected, had served in the NDP cabinet for she months as Children and Families Minister.
Even though John was a formidable opponent, the people rejected the NDP’s record and embraced the Liberal vision, Nettleton said.
“Prince George was a case study for the NDP mismanagement of health care,” said Nettleton, who wouldn’t speculate on whether he was up for a cabinet post. “With respect to the economy, again, people have felt the pain directly with the downturn in mining and forestry.”
Prince George-Mount Robson winner Shirley Bond said the Liberals’ first order of business will be to concentrate on the forest industry. “Together, we’re going to turn Victoria upside down,” she told the crowd.
The swell of dissatisfaction for the New Democrats started three years ago with recall attempts of local NDP MLA Paul Ramsey, and a year later with a huge anti-NDP Have You Had Enough? rally. Hundreds of jobs have been lost in the forest industry, unemployment has hovered for years around the 10% mark, house prices have plummeted ■ and there’s been an exodus of people to Alberta.
In stark contrast to the Liberal victory party, fewer than 100 NDP support-
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Pat Bell, Shirley Bond and Paul Nettleton celebrate a Liberal sweep In Prince George area ridings.
ers at the Legion were in little mood to fcelebrate. “Overall, I think the election results were pretty predictable,” said John.
The Green party split off some of the NDP’s traditional support, but the bigger story was the fact Reform B.C. was not the factor it was in the 1996 election.
Reform had captured 20% of the vote in 1996, splitting right-wing support with the Liberals and giving the NDP victories in two of Prince George’s
three ridings.
Erie Martz was the only Reform B.C. candidate. An internal dispute had spawned another party, Unity B.C., which also failed to mobilize traditional Reform support.
Prince George North Green party hopeful Hilary Crowley was excited with the success of her campaign, despite the final result. “We’ve increased our profile and gained support,” she said. “People are beginning to realize we’re not just a one-issue party.”
“It’s time for real change. B.C. is open for business.”
—Pat Bell
not going away’: NDP
Wednesday night.
“We’ve done a credible show,” said Todd Whitcombe, NDP candidate in Prince George-Mount Robson. “We’re not going away. We’ll keep plugging away, making sure the voices of working people are heard.”
Ed John, NDP candidate in Prince George-Omineca, said, “I think we in Prince George-Omineca ran a pretty clean campaign. No one ever got personal, and there was no mudslinging. It was a good race.”
John said there had been a large degree of interest in the election issues among members of aboriginal communities. “They had the kind of discussion we’ve never had in these communities before. By and large they tend to stay home and not get involved in politics. In this election we’ve seen a turn — a greater number of
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
Ed John and Todd Whitcombe are shown after the election.
aboriginal people voting.”
With a wry smile, Brian Llewellyn, NDP candidate in Prince George North, said of Pat Bell’s winning vote total: ‘Td have been much happier if the results
were the other way around.”
Candidates in Prince George North were courteous, Llewellyn said. “I’m glad there was no mudslinging and no serious attacks. It was a very good campaign from that point of view.
“We have to start working for the next election — start working towards forming the government in the next four years,” he said.
Whitcombe, a chemistry professor at the University of Northern B.C., said he hoped Liberal cost-cutting would not bring universities under attack. “Universities are our future,” he said. “All levels of post-secondary education — colleges, vocational education and all levels of educational opportunity — as well as the K through 12 system: those are our future.”
It’s a big victory for us’: Greens
by KAREN KWAN Citizen staff
Although disappointed the Green Party didn’t surpass the NDP at the polls, the party that built the most support during the campaign plans to consider northern issues more carefully, a local candidate said Wednesday night.
“I hoped we could get ahead of the NDP for sure, but it’s tough in these resource-based ridings,” said Hilary Crowley, who finished third in Prince George North.
One of the obstacles that prevented a stronger Green showing was the misconception the party was anti-forestry, she said. “But we’re not, we just want to do it in a sustainable way.”
She said party members hope to strike committees to develop their policies on northern issues, such as forestry in the context of the northern economy and transportation.
CROWLEY ARRIS
Prince George-Mount Robson hopeful Lelani Arris — considered by some party members the Greens’ best chance at victory in the Prince George ridings — acknowledged the party should have worked more on northern issues. The Lower Mainland and Okanagan had more involvement in policy development, she said, due to lack of input from the northern mem-
bers who may have been unprepared when the Greens surged in popularity provincially.
“It’s sort of a wake-up call for us,” said Arris, who finished third. She’s pleased with the party’s results provincially and expects it to be a force in the next election, she said. “I don’t think you’re going to see the Green party go away. It’s a big victory for us, even in terms of the numbers.”
As a Liberal landslide victory became apparent, Crowley expressed concern a lopsided legislature would lead to policies detrimental to the environment. “It’s pretty scary. One of the main causes of the Liberals is opening up the province and resources. I don’t think they’ll give much thought to the environment."
It’s important the party maintains the momentum it experienced during the campaign, she said, and continues to generate support into the next election.
Campbell delighted
VANCOUVER — After eight years as premier in waiting, Gordon Campbell finally delivered the victory his supporters have been expecting.
“Welcome to a new era for all of British Columbia,” he croaked in a hoarse voice at his Wednesday night victory party.
“B.C. is back and we are ready to go,” he told the
CAMPBELL wue11 ?ver 1>000 cheering supporters who crowded into the ballroom of the Wall Centre Hotel in downtown Vancouver.
Campbell stood on the stage with his wife Nancy, their sons and his mother Jeff and the crowd roared as he gave a thumbs up.
“Tonight B.C. is strong and it is united and it is brimming with confidence and we are ready to go.”
Campbell thanked his opponents and their families for the contributions they have made to public life, without commenting on the record of the NDP government.
With his voice almost gpne, he promised again to keep the commitments he made during the campaign.
“I want everyone to know, that we will not let you down,” he promised.
“We are committed to building a thriving economy, a superb health care system that is second to none so British Columbia is leading again.
“I want you all to know this, these are commitments that every MLA will carry out,” he said.
“It is time to restore people’s trust, it is time to restore people’s confidence and you can count on these commitments being carried out.”
Campbell has been looking forward to his election night victory speech since wrestling control of the B.C. Liberal Party from Gordon Wilson in 1993.
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