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PAGE 6 â€" WATERLQQ CHRQNICLE, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30; 1994 Don‘t count out Bob Rae and the provincial NDP in the next provincial election. . Mr. Rae is still by far the smartest and ablest of the political leaders on the provincial scene and when all is said and done, he is exactly the kind of person we need to attract in politics. At a time when many of our MPs and MPPs aren‘t very compeâ€" tent, Mr. Rae â€" bright, capable and innovative â€" stands head and shoulders above both Liberal leader Lyn McLeod and PC leader I have met all three leaders, watched them in action and believe me, Mr. Rae is the only one of the bunch who has the brains, the talent and the intellect to lead and to inspire confidence. The Liberals are stuck with Ms. McLeod. She is probably their weakest leader in over half a century. She has not demonstrated that she would do anything new for Ontario, she has flipâ€"flopped on issues and her leadership potential seems limited. PC chief Mike Harris is not the ideal leader for his party either. His "Common Sense Revolution® is filled with holes and many conservative thinkers are skeptical about whether he‘s really sinâ€" cere or just a creation of his advertising people on Madison Avenue. That leaves Mr. Rae. His social contract talks last year were the right thing to do. He knew that public sector salaries had to be cut and instead of chopping arbitrarily, he tried to do it in a conciliaâ€" tory fashion. The public sector unions reacted ridiculously. They failed to see reality because they still live in a fantasy land where they believe that the world owes them a living. But Mr. Rae was fair to them: using his innate wisdom â€" because he knew that the cupboard was bare â€" he tried to achieve peace. And for that, he must be given credit. Anyone who has ever read this column knows I am no big fan of the NDP. But because the Liberals have a leader who is devoid of policy and charisma and the Tories still seem ambivalent, there is a good chance that the NDP might do much better than most peâ€" ple think. In Waterloo, it is now clear: former city CEO Bob Byron has now secured the Liberal nomination. He was a Tory during all of the years that I knew him and he attended Conservative meetâ€" ings regularly He is certainly a competent candidate but it is puzzling to see him become a Liberal, especially under Ms. McLeod who is lackâ€" ing both charisma and policy. All in all however, he will add strength to the local Liberal ticket. In Cambridge, Mike Farnan is certainly still popular. He has the affection of many people who would ordinarily vote for either the Tores or the Liberals. It is something not seen since the days of Max Saltsman. Meanwhile, PC candidate Gerry Martiniuk is working hard. He is out and about meeting and greeting people, trying to establish a stronger base. Beating Mr. Farnan will not be an easy feat for him to accomplish. . The Cambridge Liberals haven‘t yet called a nomination meetâ€" ing. Some say this is because the powersâ€"thatâ€"be are looking for a candidate other than the declared one. So far, there are no takers. Is it because Ms. McLeod is viewed as a loser? Waterloo Town Square 75 King St. South, Suite 201 Waterloo, Ontario NJ 1P2 Telephone 886â€"2830 News Line 886â€"3021 But let‘s look at reality. Whoever gets elected is going to have to take some tough steps and take the axe to public spending. Public sector salares need to be reduced and other expenditures need to be chopped. Mr. Rae has certainly made a start. Mr. Harris promises to do more and Ms. McLeod â€" well, shell probably just put her finger into the air and see which way the wind is blowing. That‘s why you shouldn‘t count Mr. Rae out yet. Don‘t count Rae out Fax No. Meanw_hile Fred Sagel News Editor: Melodee Martinuk Pete Cudhea (Sports Editor) Deborah Crandall Tom Brockelbank Maureen McNab Gerry Mattice Sheri Gervais No one can blame Susan Forwell for throwing in the towel at this point in the election game. A judicial review of the disputed ballots would not have changed the outcome of the election, and enough evidence to convince a judge to order a new election would have been very difficult to come by. But did she lose, or did we all lose? I ask this because if it‘s true that the election workâ€" ers were poorly trained or spoiled ballots weren‘t all marked, or nothing prevented anyone from voting twice, then our collective right to a fair election has been trampled on. Having witnesses much of the election goingsâ€"on from close range, and having spoken to many people on all sides of the mess, I am sorry that a new election won‘t be ordered. Unfortunately, just the thought of holding another election seems to send many people into a tizzy. Oh the time! The expense! Our hardâ€"earned money wasted just to satisfy a lousy politician! Even Forwell, in her gracious bowâ€"out speech, cited the cost as a significant reason for her not to appeal Well hold on, folks â€" doesn‘t anybody remember what democracy is all about? Living in a demnocratic, pluralistic society, we are each given the right to parâ€" ticipate in fair elections at several levels of governâ€" ment by voting for the candidates who we feel will represent our interests. But let‘s not forget each candidate‘s right: to run in a fair election in which the candidate(s) chosen by the most people wins. Are we all sure that happened Find the cost of freedom The rights of candidates are just as important as Sandy Baird will be back. He‘s been sidelined by a stroke that‘s been described as minor. Right now he is undergoing therapy, and the outlook is good. Sandy thanks all the readers who called to ask what happened to the column. Circulation Supervisor: Andrew Pearen Mary Baycroft Jerry Fischer Cireulation: Rick Campbell President: _ Paul Winkler Waterloo Chronicle is published every Wednesday by The views of our columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper. Spmin > S % International Standard Serial Number ISSN 0832â€"3410. The Fairway Group 215 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener, Ont. the rights of voters â€" remember, you or someone you know could be a candidate, too, because in a democâ€" racy, anyone can. If an election, through human error, computer error or partisan tampering, is found to have been unfair, the election must be repeated. If not, our system of govâ€" ernment is no better than Mexico or Nicaragua. I‘m not saying taxpayers‘ money should be thrown at any apparent foulâ€"up. But if an election is riddled with confusion, inaccuracy and serious legal concerns, we owe it to the candidates (and really, ourselves) to see that something is done about it. And the $100,000 price tag is, after all, only two dolâ€" lars per eligible voter in the city. s Unfortunately, it appears that which candidate actually got the most votes on Nov. 14 may never be known for certain, and Forwell (and voters) deserves to know. If we spent another $100,000 and only found out that Forwell really did lose, it wouldn‘t have been wasted money. _ L s But if she lost the election unfairly, and nothing is done about it, we can all be counted among the losers. Tom Brockelbank Angles nce over O Fisith Subscription rates $45 yearly in Canada. $90 yearly outside Canada. +GST. Sandy Baird 2l