It was a spur-of-the-moment Liberal policy announcement meant to attract urban voters, but one prominent Liberal electoral survivor says it cost the Liberals dearly in rural Canada.
In the middle of the campaign for the Jan. 23 election, prime minister Paul Martin announced a ban on handguns in reaction to a rash of shootings in Toronto.
Prince Edward Island veteran MP Wayne Easter said he could feel his support immediately begin to slip in his rural riding.
“That announcement cost me five percent of the vote,” he said.
Read Also
Manitoba searches for Plan B on canola oil exports
A new report explores Manitoba’s current canola oil trade and possible alternative markets to the U.S.
Easter still won 50 percent of the vote in his riding and returns to Ottawa for the fifth consecutive time, but others in tighter races were not so lucky.
Touchy issue
Easter blames Martin’s decision to stir up the gun issue again for the close defeat of agriculture minister Andy Mitchell in rural Ontario, the loss of Liberal rural caucus chair Andy Savoie in rural New Brunswick and losses in several other seats.
“I think we lost a number of seats because of that,” he said.
The issue will be raised this week when Martin, who is resigning, meets the remnants of his caucus for the first time since the election.
Even anti-gun registry stalwart Paul Steckle, a conservative Liberal from Ontario’s Bruce County and chair of the House of Commons agriculture committee, came close to losing his seat.
“The gun issue was huge in his riding.”
Easter said the impact of the announcement was not the plan to ban handguns.
“It reminded people of why they hate the registry, it raised the fear of confiscation, it was policy created for downtown Toronto being imposed on rural Canada. It was another sign that the Liberal party does not connect to rural Canada,” said Easter.
“In rural ridings we were trying to hold onto, it was a disaster and it was not discussed beforehand.”
Re-elected Manitoba Conservative Brian Pallister, who announced last week he does not want to be considered for a federal cabinet seat because he may return to provincial politics, laughed at the apparent Liberal panic over the handgun announcement.
“It really didn’t play in Portage-Lisgar,” he said.
“It would be impossible to raise the ire of voters in my riding on the gun issue higher than it is.”
