NDP's Carol Hughes claims A-M-K_riding

Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

part of five-seat gain in North

for the New Democratic Party

by Chris Kivinen-Newman

ELLIOT LAKE-After two previous campaign losses, it took a while for Carol Hughes's supporters to let it sink in that she had finally triumphed in her long fight to become the member of parliament for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.

The results for Ontario's ridings slowly moved by on the television at Cheers Roadhouse in Elliot Lake, where her supporters were gathered, and it wasn't until the third time that they saw the checkmark beside her name indicating that she had won that they finally allowed themselves to believe that it was true.

And over an hour after long-time AMK representative Brent St. Denis called Ms. Hughes to concede defeat, even she seemed to not quite believe it, wanting to focus instead on the numerous NDP wins in northern Ontario.

"It is exciting. I don't think everything has sunk in," Ms. Hughes said moments before joining her supporters at her victory party. "I think what's more exciting is this wave of orange across the North. We've built a strong northern NDP team. I don't think anybody could want any more than that. I mean, if you think of it, there are now lots of Charlie Anguses out there."

But when she finally entered the door to what had become her victory party, the orange-clad NDP supporters erupted in applause, casting aside decades of second-place finishes, and finally realizing that their commitment had paid off.

Queen's hit "We Are the Champions" was blaring, and an NDP candidate stood victorious in a region once represented by Lestor B. Pearson.

But it wasn't the great prime minister who was evoked in Ms. Hughes' victory speech, it was the father of Medicare, Tommy Douglas, as she opened her remarks with his words: "Courage my friends, it is not too late to build a better world."

While time will tell if she does have a hand in building a better world, it is evident that the NDP have reshaped northern Ontario, with the party picking up a host of seats at the expense of the Liberals, such as Sudbury, Nickel Belt, and Rainy River.

To Ms. Hughes there wasn't a single issue that allowed her to become an NDP MP in a riding that has historically been a Liberal stronghold.

Instead, she focussed on the momentum she built over the past two campaigns, the hard work of her volunteers, and particularly the support of the Aboriginal and Francophone communities within the large riding.

"We've got a lot of work to do out there, although we've done some groundwork to get elected," said the new MP for AMK. "Now we've got to go out and do the job and I'm prepared to do that. I'm prepared to show up, stand up, and speak for the North."

And before she even gave her victory speech, she gave an indication of what kind of relationship she would have with the re-elected Conservative government, who indicated earlier in the election that the first bill Ms. Hughes and her colleagues would face in the House would be a confidence motion on their controversial youth justice proposal.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," said Ms. Hughes. "I think he might take a step back on that one because given the fact they didn't get the majority government that they wanted, I think it would be suicide for him to put another confidence motion in the House right away. We'll deal with it when it comes and we'll see."

To outgoing MP, Mr. St. Denis and her other opponents, she had some sympathetic words.

"I know how hard it is to lose an election campaign. Been there, done that," she said to her supporters. "My thoughts are with the other candidates tonight as well. Brent St. Denis fought a hard campaign and I wish him well in his future endeavours."

The outgoing Liberal MP was very gracious in defeat, commending Ms. Hughes and the NDP on a "focussed campaign" and telling his supporters that she has earned the chance to represent AMK.

"We have to be philosophic about these things. Just like in retail where the customer's always right, in this case the voter is always right," said Mr. St. Denis. "We have to give the new MP a chance to get up and running and we'll see how it goes. Since the NDP have most of the seats north and west of Parry Sound and North Bay, they may run it as one big unit."

He added that with the NDP in fourth place, in terms of seats in parliament, he is interested to see how Ms. Hughes and her colleagues use their influence.

In defeat, Mr. St. Denis stuck to his key message about what he prided himself in as the MP for the riding. He said that his greatest accomplishment was his work at the local level with mayors, chiefs, and members of the community.

"In spite of the big issues-there was Afghanistan, health care-I find that people wanted to see you in their towns," he said.

As for what residents of Manitoulin can expect from Ms. Hughes in Ottawa, she ended her victory speech with another quote, this time from NDP leader Jack Layton: "Don't let them tell you it can't be done," she said, "because your team of New Democrats will get it done."

It's a Harper minority

Liberals, Bloc lose ground; NDP_registers gains

by Lindsay Kelly

CANADA-He didn't get the majority government he was hoping for, but Stephen Harper will retain his seat as this country's prime minister after Canadians voted overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining a Conservative government.

As of early Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Harper and the Conservatives had been credited with 142 seats, up from 124 in 2006, while and StZphane Dion and the Liberals came a distant second with 79 seats, down from 103. Jack Layton's NDP followed, with 37 seats, up from 29, while the Bloc Quebecois led by Gilles Duceppe earned 48 seats, down from 51. Elizabeth May and the Green Party failed to earn any seats in parliament.

Stephen Harper is the first prime minister to win back-to-back minority governments since Lester B. Pearson completed the feat in 1965. He needed 155 seats to win a majority government.

Northern Ontario has taken on a distinctly orange hue, with the election of five new NDP candidates, including Carol Hughes in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.

The riding of Nickel Belt is seeing the first change in 15 years, with NDP candidate Claude Gravelle being declared the victor over Liberal candidate Louise Portelance.

Sudbury also experienced a major upset as long-time Liberal candidate Diane Marleau was defeated by NDP candidate Glenn Thibault, who earned 35 percent of the vote. Sudbury has been a Liberal stronghold since 1968.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River experienced an upset as well, electing NDP candidate John Rafferty with 40 percent of the votes, returning the riding to the New Democrats for the first time since 1993.

In Thunder Bay-Superior North, NDP candidate Bruce Hyer earned the win with 37 percent of the vote.

NDP candidate Tony Martin slid to an easy victory in Sault Ste. Marie; this will be his fourth term in office. NDP incumbent Charlie Angus also retained his seat in the riding of Timmins-James Bay, earning 56 percent of the vote.

But there were parts of northern Ontario that bucked the trend. In the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, Conservative candidate and Health Minister Tony Clement maintained his seat by a large margin, taking 50 percent of the vote.

There was no surprise in Nipissing-Timiskaming, which has been a Liberal stronghold since 1988, where Liberal incumbent Anthony Rota walked away with the seat with 44 percent of the vote.

Kenora, which has been Liberal since 1988, has switched allegiances, electing Conservative Greg Rickford with 40 percent of the vote.

The Conservatives dominate the remainder of the province, with the exception of the Toronto and Kitchener areas, which show a strong Liberal flavour, and Hamilton and London-Fanshawe, which voted largely NDP.

Moving across the country, on the East Coast, Newfoundland and Labrador remained mostly Liberal, as did its neighbour Prince Edward Island.

In Nova Scotia, despite garnering positive media attention throughout the campaign, Green Party leader Elizabeth May could not beat out Conservative candidate and Defence Minister Peter MacKay in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova. Ms. May earned 32 percent of the vote share, compared with Mr. MacKay's 46 percent; she was the only party leader who was not elected.

New Brunswick has voted largely Conservative, while, not surprisingly, QuZbec is dominated by the Parti QuZbecois. One exception is the MontrZal riding of Papineau, where Liberal Justin Trudeau, son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, beat out Bloc QuZbecois incumbent Vivian Barbot.

In the far North, Nunavut has voted Conservative, the Western Arctic is distinctly NDP, and the Yukon is Liberal.

Of the Prairie provinces, Manitoba has voted largely NDP, while Saskatchewan and Alberta have been dominated by the Conservatives.

British Columbia, meanwhile, has Conservatives earning 48 percent of the vote, while the NDP earned 24 percent.

Incumbent  St. Denis spends election day

helping muster Wikwemikong's Liberal vote

by Jim Moodie

WIKWEMIKONG-As October 14 dawned bright and blustery, incumbent Brent St. Denis aimed his campaign-tested Jeep (15,576 kilometres since the writ dropped and counting) to the southeast corner of the riding, where he made Wikwemikong the first stop of his election-day itinerary.

"It's a day to keep busy and go around and see the troops," the veteran MP explained while helping a senior into the polling station at the Wikwemikong Nursing Home. "I thought I'd like to start here in Wikwemikong because it's so peaceful, and I have good support here."

A candidate's role by this point of the campaign wasn't to sway a voter to their side, noted Mr. St. Denis, as most people would have already made up their minds. But he admitted that a focus of being in Wikwemikong was to ensure anyone who did support him would be motivated, and able, to access the polling station.

"You can't force people to vote," he said. "But you want to make sure it's available to them."

In Wikwemikong, like many First Nations, "the percentage of households without vehicles is higher than in the general population," noted the incumbent.

With this in mind, Mr. St. Denis made it known, through a flyer, that rides on election day would be provided by calling his Wiky headquarters, which was set up in a house on Beach Road by longtime Liberal supporter Tom Peltier.

"We have four or five people driving," noted Mr. Peltier, while preparing some food for the crew of volunteers.

While the incumbent obviously hoped a larger turnout would work in his favour, he said it was also in the interest of democracy to get as many people out to the polls as possible. "Anishinabek turnouts are not as high," he said, adding that First Nation leaders across the country have been calling for more participation from band members in the electoral process.

Of the approximately 1,200 eligible voters in Wikwemikong, only 400-500 would typically cast a ballot, noted Mr. Peltier, which is well below the national average. In the last election, 64.7 percent of Canadians voted.

Given the size of Wiky, a strong turnout favouring one party could be the difference in a tight race. Not only is it the largest First Nation in the riding, "it's one of the top six or seven communities," pointed out Mr. St. Denis. "It's bigger than Blind River."

The polling station at the Wiky arena was relatively quiet at 2 pm, but deputy returning officer Eleanor Kanasawe said there had been a steady flow of voters earlier, and more were expected later when the band office gave its employees time off to vote.

Taking a whole day off to get out the vote on behalf of Mr. St. Denis was Rosemary Wakegijig, an educator and guidance counsellor who fondly describes the MP as her "half-brother." While the comment is made playfully, there's some legitimacy to the description: Ms. Wakegijig boarded with Mr. St. Denis's family when she was a teen attending high school in North Bay. "He was in Grade 10 and I was in 12," she said.

The two crossed paths again many years later, and Ms. Wakegijig has now become a key supporter of the candidate, helping to staff the Liberal nerve centre in Wiky.

"We had a really strong team of volunteers this year," praised Mr. St. Denis. "Part of the reason I'm here today is to say thank you and show my team I care enough about them to spend time with them."

Following his visit to Wiky, which lasted until mid-afternoon, Mr. St. Denis was bound for Blind River and Elliot Lake, and finally Espanola, where he would watch the results roll in at the curling club.

The candidate, seeking a seventh consecutive term as member for the riding, felt confident that his team would have something to cheer about before the night was over, but he was also prepared for the opposite.

"You always go into election night considering there could be two results," he said. "I feel good about my prospects but I'm also covering off the other side, so I'm mentally and emotionally ready if I don't win."

For over 70  years, Manitoulin was part of a 'safe Liberal seat'

So safe, that Algoma East was the political home of Lester B. 'Mike' Pearson

by Jim Moodie

MANITOULIN-A seat long viewed as a given for the Grits had many on the edge of their seats as election results rolled in on Tuesday night.

The ability of Carol Hughes to snap the Liberal streak is certainly noteworthy, although to be fair, our riding has not always been a shoe-in for the party of Lester B. Pearson.

In fact, the 'Gritlock' has only existed for the latter half of this riding's history. In the first 68 years following Confederation, voters in our area more often went Conservative-not to mention, on one memorable occasion, for a gang known as the UFO (an acronym which didn't actually stand for mysterious spacecraft but the United Farmers of Ontario).

You could also argue that the riding ceased being a safe one for the Liberals by 2004, when the NDP's Ms. Hughes came within 3,225 votes of the incumbent-a margin she'd shave in half by 2006.

Still, the uninterrupted run of Liberals in this neck of the North, with its roots going back all the way back to the Great Depression, remains quite remarkable.

The dynasty began in 1935, with the election of Thomas Farquhar under the Liberal banner. The Mindemoya farmer and merchant would be re-elected in 1940 and 1945, before taking a senate appointment in 1948 that allowed future Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to grab the red baton in Algoma East, as the riding was then known. Mr. Pearson would comfortably hold this seat for the next two decades.

In 1968, Dr. Maurice Foster, a veterinarian from Prince Edward County, succeeded the prime minister as Liberal member for Algoma East, a post he would retain through six subsequent elections, before Mr. St. Denis, a former assistant to Mr. Maurice, ran successfully for the Liberals in 1993.

It was a landslide win that year for the rookie politician, who tallied 18,218 votes-nearly three times the number for the Reform Party and seven times that of the NDP. Mr. St. Denis was re-elected in 1997 (when the riding became Algoma-Manitoulin) and again in 2000, 2004, and 2006-the latter two times as member for the new, enlarged electoral district of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.

In its earliest incarnation, based on boundaries set out in the British North America Act, the riding was called simply Algoma and stretched all the way to the Manitoba border. And its first representative was Wemyss Simpson Mackenzie-a Conservative whose occupation is cited simply as "trader."

The next two members for Algoma were also Conservatives, with Frederick William Cumberland and John Bevery Robinson each serving a single term.

The first Liberal to win the seat, in 1874, was Edward Barron Borron, but he was promptly replaced in 1878 by another Tory, Simon James Dawson, whose party would retain its grip on the riding for another 18 years.

The Liberals found their first repeat representative in 1896, when A.E. Dyment took the riding and held onto his seat through two subsequent elections, despite a spirited challenge, in 1904, by one Byron H. Turner, a Little Current merchant and ancestor of current Turners proprietor Jib.

Between 1908 and 1930 the riding, since redrawn and christened anew as Algoma East, flip-flopped between Tories and Grits, with the exception of 1926, when a farmer and lay Mennonite minister from Long Bay on Manitoulin named Beniah Bowman carried the day for the United Farmers of Ontario.

A party formed in 1914 through the union of various farmers' organizations, the UFO's first electoral success came provincially in 1918 when Mr. Bowman earned a seat in the legislative assembly on behalf of Manitoulin. In the subsequent 1919 provincial election, the UFO would shock everyone, including itself, by taking 45 seats and forming a minority government, despite having no leader.

In some ways, the current NDP surge in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing connects back to that upstart farmers' party, as the UFO was social democratic in nature and linked to a broader United Farmers movement-one that helped create the federal Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), itself the precursor to the NDP.

The UFO's reign over the Algoma East riding was short-lived, however, with its last roar coinciding with the final gasp of the Roaring Twenties. By 1930 the Conservatives were back in power, under George Brecken Nicholson, to be followed in 1935 by Mr. Farquhar, who got the cogs clicking for the Big Red Machine.

The rest, as they say, is history.

EDITORIAL

Near-sweep of North by NDP_will allow regional bloc approach

Carol Hughes has been chosen by the electors of Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing as this riding's representative in the House of Commons and the new MP will take her seat in the New Democratic Party's section of the opposition benches.

This was Ms. Hughes's third time to contest this seat, each time moving closer to incumbent Liberal Brent St. Denis and finally overtaking him by a convincing majority of votes.

It is clear from this record that Ms. Hughes is a person for whom persistence is a clear character trait and, as an opposition member, this characteristic will doubtless serve this vast riding well over the next four years.

There was a fiery passion in Ms. Hughes' approach to this particular election that clearly inspired as many Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing voters to abandon the parties for which they've traditionally voted, placing their 'X' beside her name instead.

Congratulations to Ms. Hughes. While this riding has changed, after a remarkable 73 years of consistent Liberal support from a red to an orange seat, we can have every expectation that Ms. Hughes will represent AMK's interests as energetically in Ottawa as she has on the campaign trail.

Ms. Hughes' personal victory in this riding is a piece of an NDP sweep that paints all of the ridings in both the northeast and the northwest orange-with the exception of Nipissing-Temiskaming (Liberal) and Kenora (Tory). (And, if one considers Parry Sound-Muskoka part of the northern Ontario, the Tories have a much firmer hold on that riding, as Tony Clement increased his majority from the 28 votes that brought him to office in 2006 to a more comfortable several thousand votes in his favour this week.)

Clearly, this was a sweep and the people of northern Ontario, perhaps disenchanted with Liberal leader StZphane Dion's Green Shift and its associated carbon tax, chose to move their votes from one party of the moderate left to another. Three ridings in northeastern Ontario and both of the northwestern Ontario's ridings shifted allegiances from Liberal to NDP.

While this will doubtless be, and properly so, personally satisfying to Ms. Hughes and her fellow NDP victors in all of these northern ridings, such a sea change, all at once, bespeaks a vote of protest as much as anything else.

In the Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing case, the 15-year Liberal incumbent has nothing to be sorry for: he has been a diligent riding representative in a riding that twice grew larger during his tenure as MP and in its present incarnation borders on the ridiculous.

Nevertheless, Mr. St. Denis (not one to complain in any event) routinely trudged the length and breadth of this enormous piece of political geography, doing his utmost to keep Mindemoya, Blind River, Manitouwadge, Chapleau, Hearst and Kapuskasing symbolically connected to the political hub in Ottawa.

He did a good job, was immensely helpful to individuals, municipalities and First Nations, and just as Ms. Hughes has earned congratulations on her victory, Mr. St. Denis merits a major vote of thanks for good work during his 15 years in office.

As an institution in the Manitoulin portion of AMK, this newspaper looks forward to getting to know Ms. Hughes and to working with her for the benefit of the North.

As the Tories prepare to take office with another minority government and the face of the opposition side has changed markedly, a clear advantage of this near-sweep of the North by the NDP is a northern bloc that represents virtually the entire region.

This hasn't been the case in some time and it can only be to the region's advantage.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Community support key to new enterprise taking off

MTA volunteers have been particularly helpful

To the Expositor:

What is a community? According to the Webster's New World dictionary, it means:

"A group sharing and living in a common area ultimately working for a common goal."

I have to say that moving to Manitoulin Island this year and opening a bed and breakfast in Manitowaning has shown us that the people here truly know what community is. The members of this community were instrumental in making our business the success it was this summer.

I have to admit, when we applied for rezoning in order to open a B&B, I was pretty nervous about what the outcome from town council would be. Fortunately, we only encountered smiling, friendly faces and they (council) were not the scary people we thought they might be. After the council meeting everyone welcomed us and they were sincere in wishing us success with our new endeavour. Everyone we spoke with agreed that this type of accommodation would be helpful in promoting more tourism in the Manitowaning area, a much needed thing for this community.

The "new business" feature article that the Manitoulin Expositor ran which introduced us to the Island community was a real boost also. Even people who have moved away from Manitoulin, but who still have the paper mailed to them, read the article and filed this information away for a future trip. We received a few reservations this way and their business was greatly appreciated. Other B&B's on the Island who read about us and called to welcome us then subsequently sent business our way when they were unable to accommodate.

The community at large within the township of Assiginack was also very helpful. When we asked some of our guests where they heard about us, they would say, I heard about you at the grocery store, or at the convenience store, or just someone they stopped and talked to on the street. That truly is, what community support is all about! Thanks!

I think the greatest amount of support came from the Manitoulin Tourism Association though. The volunteers, the summer students and most of all Bob Hughson, who man the tourist information booths and the ferry, were probably the most instrumental factor in ensuring we had such a successful first season. Thanks to this team of people and their dedication, they kept us booked most of the summer. The association requested we send in our availability information every week and based on this mutual co-operation, together we were able to help Island visitors find suitable accommodations easier and faster.

And finally, this fall, thanks to a group of likeminded business owners, we have started a rotating visitation schedule whereby bed and breakfast owners, inn operators, resorts, etc., have been getting together at each other's places and introducing ourselves and our establishments. We take time over coffee, tea, wine and hors d'heuvres to get to know each other and share ideas. This is a wonderful way for us to meet people from all across the Island and an even better way to demonstrate true community.  And so a heartfelt thanks goes to all of you for welcoming us to this wonderful community. We look forward to many more years of sharing.

Gord and Charlene Gorman

Willow Shores B&B

Manitowaning

Motocross creates revenue for fair, activities for kids

Sport is noisy, but should be preserved for future generations to enjoy

To the Expositor:

My mother-in-law was born in Providence Bay and spent most of her childhood here. When she comes to visit we stroll along the streets and she shares with me some of her cherished memories.

She remembers gathering with her friends at the bridge over the Mindemoya River and diving into the water. Years later my husband and his friends also dove there. Our children jumped off the dock at the river where swimming lessons were also taught. The river is now regulated with a dam and no-one jumps or dives into it anymore.

My mother-in-law also remembers nightly bonfires on the beach with all the kids in town there. Kids can no longer build a fire, throw sticks in the water for their dogs to catch (dogs must be on a leash), ride a horse, an ATV, or snowmobile on the beach. Signs also ask them to avoid walking on the dunes so they don't upset nature. I'm told that the police were called this summer because a group of kids were making too much noise playing beach volleyball.

Our son has absolutely fantastic stories to tell of summer days spent fishing in the river behind the warehouse. It is now a fish sanctuary. Kids no longer fish there. Now it's the motocross. If you watched the sport you'd see families, friends and the kids doing what they do best: having fun.

Without the revenue from the motocross there would be no Providence Bay Fair. Kids here may never get to Disneyland or to Caribbean beaches, but for generations they've had the beach and the fair. Motocross is noisy. It sounds like a swarm of angry bumblebees, but it's no different than motorized water vessels and we couldn't do anything about them if they were to invade our bay. Providence Bay may look like a grey-haired community but kids live here, too, and they should have the right to create cherished memories that one day they'll want to share with their loved ones.

Linda Allen

Providence Bay

Artist stands by assertion that he was threatened

Gabor Vadas is twisting words of Morrisseau

To the Expositor:

RE: "Morrisseau's adopted son responds to artist's critique," letters, October 1. Mr. Vadas denies he threatened me. On October 9, 1999 at 10:30 am, a police report was filed on the same day Mr. Vadas made his threats and is on record with the UCCM Anishnabe Tribal Police.

The attending police officer advised me that I had every right to defend myself when someone comes on to my property and threatens me. According to the police, Mr. Vadas was served papers on the same day. The fact is Mr. Vadas came to my house with the sole purpose of threatening me, which he did. The threat began: "I want you to shut-up about the fake Morrisseaus, or else...."

Not only did Mr. Vadas threaten me but he also made several derogatory comments about my artwork and my abilities as an artist. It is a sign of the times that when people strike out against injustices, perpetrators quickly label them in negatively dismissive terms like "angry" and "bitter."

Mr. Vadas is twisting Norval's words to suit his own personal opinions, wants and desires. Mr. Vadas lives in denial-and I don't mean a river in Egypt. Judging by Mr. Vadas's letter it appears he owes me an apology.

Blake Debassige

M'Chigeeng