No Recount Expected in By-Elections

Well it appears there will be no recount in Toronto Centre, following Monday's by-election. Nor will there be a recount in Willowdale. So Bob Rae and Martha Hall Findlay will be going to Ottawa for the Liberals.

A tremendous exercise in modern democracy it was too. In fact, the voter turnouts (27.9% in Toronto Centre and 24.4% in Willowdale) rivalled some school board elections.

Much closer was the result for Vancouver Quadra (33.9% voter turnout) in which Liberal Joyce Murray edged out Conservative Deborah Meredith by a razor thin 151 votes (a mere 0.4% of the popular vote). John Turner (no, not that one), representing the Neo-Rhino Party, contested strongly, earning 110 votes.

One result, about which we were not likely to hear a great deal of coverage, not even on Don Newman's brroooaaadcaaast, was the thumping administered by Conservative Rob Clark (47.8% of the popular vote) on Liberal Joan Beatty in the northern Saskatchewan riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill Falls. The voter turnout there was a resounding 25%.