The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Bill Archer believes a united right and some public contempt for the Liberals mean he has a good shot at becoming Flin Flon's next Member of Parliament. Come the next federal election, the Thompson criminal defense lawyer will carry the Conservative Party of Canada banner in the Churchill Riding MP race. "We need economic growth in the North and we need a strong voice. I feel I can promote those better than my alternatives," said Archer, a partner in the Archer and Phillips Law Office. "I get the feeling that Ottawa barely knows we're here, and it would be my goal to try and change that." The conservative will face some stiff competition in popular incumbent Bev Desjarlais, the NDP candidate, and Norway House Chief Ron Evans, the Liberal nominee. The right-wing movement did not have much success in the Churchill Riding in the 2000 election, with the Canadian Alliance placing third and the PC Party fourth. But Archer said there's reason for optimism this time around now that those parties have merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada. The University of Manitoba graduate also believes Canadians want change after more than a decade of Liberal governance. "The Liberals have seriously mismanaged the Canadian economy and the Canadian taxpayers' money. There's been scandal after scandal," said Archer. "I believe that when the writ is dropped, Canadians will take a hard look at things and say, 'Enough's enough.'" See 'Strong' P.# Con't from P.# Of course the Liberals aren't his only opposition. And although the New Democrats are well-liked in these parts, Archer feels voters will want their MP to belong to a party with a more serious chance of forming government or at least Official Opposition. "Northern Manitoba needs a strong voice in Parliament," he said. "If we continually elect MPs who are not forming part of government . . . that voice is somewhat muted." Archer, who grew up in Winnipeg and moved to Thompson to practise law in 1994, said he stands behind the Conservatives because their policies harmonize with his way of thinking. "They believe in the rights of the individual to determine their own destiny," he said, "and they temper that with a healthy respect for peace, order, and good government. There has to be a balance between liberty and order, and I believe they strike it the best." This won't be Archer's first run for office, as he represented the PC Party in last year's Thompson MLA race, finishing a distant second behind NDP candidate Steve Ashton. The lawyer hopes to put that loss behind him and become the first conservative MP in this riding since 1979, the year New Democrat Rod Murphy took over Cecil Smith's seat. To that end, Archer plans to campaign as much as possible throughout the riding shortly after the election call, which he believes will come within the next few weeks. Aside from being a conservative supporter, Archer is also the PC Party's regional director for Northern Manitoba.
