Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Biggest referendum losers are pols who pushed it Date: Wed, 28 Oct 92 15:01:10 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD;NEWS ANALYSIS \SS (WS) \HD Biggest referendum losers are pols who pushed it \BY Anthony Boadle \CR REUTERS NEWS AGENCY \DT OTTAWA OTTAWA - The upset in Canada's national unity referendum may revive Quebec separatism, but the immediate casualty will be the country's discredited politicians rather than its territorial integrity. Voters Monday massively rejected reforms negotiated by their political leaders, saying they had spent too much time and taxpayers' money to come up with a bad deal. "It is a repudiation of the political, business and media elite that proceeded on the assumption that they could tell the Canadian people what to do," said western Canada's Preston Manning, an anti-establishment leader. The reforms were rejected by 56.6 percent of Quebeckers for offering them too little political autonomy and by 67.7 percent of British Columbian voters for giving Quebec too much. The deal struck by all provincial governments and endorsed by the three main political parties, the trade unions and business groups was rejected in six of the 10 provinces. The biggest loser of all was Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, an Irish Quebecker who swept to power in 1984 with an unprecedented majority pledging to solve the Quebec rift. Prolonged recession, high unemployment, an unpopular free-trade agreement with the United States and a hated sales tax have whittled away Mr. Mulroney's support and credibility. Early yesterday he admitted defeat amid demands by opponents that he resign or call an early general election not due until next fall. "The accord is history. . . . The problems that faced us as a nation remain," a glum-looking Mr. Mulroney said at a news conference. British Columbia Liberal leader Gordon Wilson urged Mr. Mulroney to step down, saying he had become a liability to the country and his own Conservative Party. "It's really a telling night for a lot of Canadian politicians who are going to have to question now whether they still hold a mandate," Mr. Wilson said. "The Canadian public will demand and will deserve a federal election after tonight." Liberal strategists believe Mr. Mulroney will be forced to call a party leadership conference early next year and call elections six months later. If he does not, Conservative defections could reduce the government's 10-seat majority to a minority in Parliament. The legacy of Monday's defeat is bitter regional conflict. When Canadians next go to the polls they will find their country's political landscape radically changed with two new parties in the running: Mr. Manning's Reform Party and the Bloc Quebecois led by separatist Lucien Bouchard. Constitutional negotiations with Quebec will be shelved for the time being. Opposition leader Jean Chretien said the issue should be put on the back burner and no politician would be prepared to raise it in the near future. The "no" vote boosted Quebec's separatists, who promised the next vote will be on sovereignty. But it will take them at least two years to come to power, and Quebeckers are not sure they really want to break away from Canada anyway. "Something went seriously wrong. . . . As Canadians we blew it," said Indian Chief Ovide Mercredi, whose people lost a unique chance to gain self-rule under the reform deal. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM