New Leader for the Liberals

By William E. Smith

A Toronto lawyer is chosen to succeed Trudeau

With all the hoopla of a midwestern provincial fair, Canada's ruling Liberal Party held a convention in Ottawa last week to choose a successor to Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who has led the country for 15 of the past 16 years. Seven candidates tried to woo the party's 3,500 delegates with barbecued ribs and chicken, corned-beef sandwiches, chips and plenty of suds, rock bands and sightseeing boats. But in the end, after three days of speeches and revelry, the delegates Saturday evening elected on the second ballot the candidate who had been the front runner since the beginning: John Turner, 55, the silver-haired Toronto lawyer who resigned nearly nine years ago as Trudeau's Finance Minister.

As his party's new leader, Turner, who holds no seat in the present Parliament, is expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister shortly. He will lead the Liberals into the next elections, which must be held some time before next spring, against the opposition Progressive Conservatives, led by a political newcomer, Businessman Brian Mulroney, 45. Whichever party wins in what is expected to be a close contest, Canada's next government will undoubtedly be considerably to the right of Trudeau's.

In taking over the Liberals' helm, Turner defeated Jean Chretien, the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and a populist who is well regarded in English-speaking Canada as well as his native Quebec. In many respects Chretien is a more engaging politician than Turner, who is sometimes described as cold and aloof. Turner benefited from the Liberals' longstanding tradition that the party's leadership should alternate between representatives of English-and French-speaking regions. Since Trudeau is from Quebec, the convention would have had to break with custom to choose Chretien. Moreover, Turner's impressive bearing and boardroom presence probably represent what the delegates feel their countrymen want in a national leader. All at the convention were conscious of the party's shift from the Trudeau era of activism and charismatic leadership. Reflecting on how different last week's proceedings were from the previous time the Liberals chose a leader, in 1968, Trudeau Aide Tom Axworthy remarked ruefully, "It can be argued that the country needs a rest from tumultuous change."

Canada is laboring under annual government deficits of around U.S. $22.6 billion and an 11.7% unemployment rate that rises to 30% or higher among young people in some areas. But even those Canadians who regarded Trudeau as arrogant and a bit prickly will probably miss the man who so resoundingly rejected the adage of Wartime Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King: "Never do by halves what you can do by quarters." Party delegates last week watched a film that chronicled some of Trudeau's accomplishments: the defeat of the Quebec-based separatist movement, the strengthening of the central government and the institution of a policy of bilingualism; the "bringing home" from Britain of Canada's constitution, and his social welfare program. Party President lona Campagnolo paid the retiring Prime Minister an affectionate tribute. "We were ready to wrap ourselves in the gray cloak of anonymity," she said. "And then we saw you, paddling through white water in a canoe, hurtling down mountains on skis, somersaulting on trampolines, and we asked, 'Is this one of us?' " She continued, "You made us uneasy. You prodded us. But if you could do it, so could we. And we were there."

Trudeau, now 64, had the last word that night. After characterizing his years in office as a time of Canada's "coming of age," he concluded, "In two days we will choose a new leader, and you will find me there following him because we have much more building to do." As he left the stage, he spun a pirouette, recalling a playful twirl he once performed for photographers behind the back of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace.

Trudeau asked his 37-member Cabinet to stay in Ottawa this Friday, the day after Parliament is adjourned. At that point, if events follow the traditional script, Trudeau and his Cabinet will walk to the office of Governor General Jeanne Sauve and offer their resignation. She will accept and call on John Turner to form a Cabinet. Turner will agree and immediately offer a list of the members of his new Cabinet. The Governor General will swear them all in, and Canada will have a new government. Since Parliament will already have adjourned, Turner will be spared the embarrassment of having to rule from the gallery of the House of Commons. Until he becomes an elected member of Parliament, he cannot enter the floor of the House.

National elections may be at the top of Turner's agenda. After trailing the Conservatives in opinion polls for the past year, the Liberals now hold a tenuous lead. Argues Liberal Senator Royce Frith:

"Don't talk about Queens cand Popes, do it now." He refers to forthcoming visits by Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II, neither of whom would care to get caught up in a Canadian election campaign. One widely mentioned date is Aug. 27, which falls a month after the end of the Queen's visit and almost two weeks before the arrival of the Pope.

A notable characteristic of the campaign will be the similarity of the major party leaders, Turner and Mulroney. Both are attractive politicians who have mostly been out of public life in recent years; both are lawyers with corporate experience. Neither would dismantle Canada's existing social welfare program, but both want to cut government deficits and unemployment and increase foreign investment. After calling last week on his countrymen to "reach for the stars in a land that has no horizon," Turner promised to promote his country as best he can.

Shouted the next Prime Minister: "I'll get out and sell for Canada, and sell our products abroad."

--By William E. Smith.

Reported by Marcia Gauger/Ottawa

With reporting by Marcia Gauger/Ottawa