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.
It didnÕt seem like much of a gamble when Liberal Leader Stphane Dion decided to appoint Joan Beatty as his candidate in Northern SaskatchewanÕs recent federal by-election. Ms. Beatty has strong name recognition and the respect of many voters from having represented much of the region as a minister at the provincial level. As a former New Democrat, she seemed destined to keep Desneth-Missinippi-Churchill River in the Liberal column by bringing progressives together as one big happy family. But as the tabulations flowed in March 17, it became increasingly clear that Ms. Beatty would not be successful in her surprise switch to federal politics. Instead, Prime Minister Stephen HarperÕs Tories handily took the riding with RCMP Sgt. Rob Clarke on the ticket. The question that garnered the most attention was not how Mr. Clarke, a political rookie, won, but how Ms. Beatty lost. She touched on some of the reasons in post-election interviews, blaming voter apathy, confusion at the polls and a Liberal-NDP vote split among aboriginals. Ms. Beatty also took blame for failing to communicate more effectively with voters and acknowledged her appointment as candidate Ð made over the objections of democracy-seeking party members Ð may have kept some disgruntled Liberals away. Mr. Dion offered explanations of his own, saying that aboriginals Ð who make up nearly two-thirds of the riding Ð Òusually vote LiberalÓ but are Òhard to mobilize.Ó These excuses all carry varying degrees of legitimacy. Who knows, maybe the Liberals were the rightful winners until a string of unexpected circumstances conspired to knock them off their perch. Or maybe, just maybe, the outcome can be taken as something deeper Ð a rejection of Liberal policies. The Grits havenÕt made a lot of friends in rural Canada over the years. Programs like the long-gun registry and the once-proposed Òcanoe registryÓ are seen by many northerners as cash-grabs designed to appease urban voters. As a result, the rural-urban political divide in Canada is as strong as it has been in memory. Desneth-Missinippi-Churchill River is merely a microcosm of a much larger trend in which the Conservatives rule rural areas and the Liberals dominate the large cities. Time will tell whether this situation will reverse itself, but given the diverse, sometimes-conflicting interests of rural and urban dwellers, donÕt count on it happening any time soon. Local Angle runs Fridays.
