Coming in second best has granted the Reform party its wish to become the official opposition in the next parliament.
The catch is the majority of the party’s 60 seats came from west of Saskatchewan with the largest number in Alberta, where 24 out of 26 Reform candidates easily won.
Also, the party’s share of the national popular vote was down slightly from the last election.
While they hoped to take more constituencies, especially in Ontario where they were shut out, the enthusiasm at the Preston Manning headquarters in downtown Calgary on election night was palpable. It was a mixed crowd, as Reformers of all ages and ethnic groups waved a collection of Canadian and Alberta flags.
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Tired campaign workers had a few ounces of energy left for a glass of beer and one more rousing cheer for their leader.
While this was the shortest election campaign in history at 36 days, for Reformers it was the end of a 10 year upward climb to gain credibility as official opposition.
In his acceptance speech Manning said this Parliament will be one of transition with the death of old ideas and the birth of new ones. This election also proves Reform is a credible alternative to the Liberals, he said.
In spite of the excitement with their performance, University of Calgary historian David Bercusson said Reform is still a regional party, with Manning highly popular in his home base.
“Reform has to decide if it is going to become a national party. Preston Manning essentially built the party as a western protest movement,” he said.
Distrust of Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives remains widespread, he added.
Jean ChrŽtien’s Liberal government got two voices from Alberta in former energy minister Anne McLellan and David Kilgour, both representing Edmonton ridings.
The rest of the province was a clean sweep for Reform. No Conservatives were elected from Alberta or B.C., which Manning said indicates the failure of the Tories to represent themselves as a national party.
Campaign chair Cliff Fryers said this election showed a fundamental shift for the west, especially in Alberta where Reform has come on like gangbusters since the party was formed with its message of fiscal responsibility, judicial reform and recall of members of parliament.
Alberta has rejected the Tories, said Fryers.
“Reform has become the new political powerhouse for Calgary. The PCs had become too red as opposed to the old Tory blue.”
While a number of the Reform incumbents from the west held their seats, there will also be some new faces in caucus.
Deepak Obhrai handily won the new riding of Calgary East by about 5,000 votes. Deborah Gray, the first Reform candidate elected to parliament, won her newly created seat in Edmonton North. This was her third election.
In Calgary Southwest, party leader Manning effortlessly retained his seat with 15,000 votes, more than all his competitors earned together.
Brown a distant second
His Conservative challenger and former Reform colleague, Jan Brown, fell a distant third behind the Liberal candidate, Paul Drager.
Other Alberta incumbents like outspoken members Myron Thompson of Wild Rose, Art Hanger of Calgary Northeast and Leon Benoit of Lakeland were all returned to office.
Thompson and Hanger are well known for their tough law and order stances while Benoit has been a critic of the Canadian Wheat Board.
In the southern Alberta riding of Macleod, Grant Hill again won his seat and Lethbridge’s Rick Casson was a clear winner. Casson was the Reform replacement for 30 year veteran politician Ray Speaker who retired this year.
There are also some young faces appearing this time round, both from Calgary.
Rob Anders, 24, took Calgary West and Jason Kenney, 28, won Calgary Southeast.
In B.C. the incumbents like Jim Hart from Okanagan Coquihalla, Werner Schmidt of Kelowna and Darrell Stinson held their seats.
