by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (NOV 20/96) - Canada's Tory party has one of the most popular leaders in the country at its helm and is ready to jump into the fray, says the North's PC association president.

Three years ago the party was reduced to shambles after winning just two seats in the last national election.

Soon after, Leader Jean Charest and party faithful began to rebuild the Progressive Conservative party. "That restructuring is now complete," said Judith Goucher.

She brought Western Arctic constituency association members up to date on party politics and new policies at its annual general meeting, Monday night.

The fledgling association, formed in June, is still on wobbly legs, and with only 15 members in attendance, some were disappointed.

However, Goucher didn't let the lack of numbers cast a shadow over her optimism.

She explained that with an accessible party that's now more responsive to the regions, and with a leader who consistently tops national popularity polls, she's confident that the party will make a comeback.

Fellow association executive member David Ramsay agreed. He said membership numbers are slowly on the increase and as the next election draws near -- one is widely expected in the spring -- he thinks support will sky rocket.

"I don't see why there won't be 35 PC seats after the next election," he said during a break in the meeting. "Maybe even more."

But numbers did concern some of the members who showed up at the meeting on one of the coldest Yellowknife nights so far this winter season.

"The turn out here is a concern and it sounds as if you're getting a lukewarm reaction," said David Forbes, referring to Ramsay's membership drive.

Ramsay, who didn't know offhand how many PC party members there are in the North, conceded that early results in the three-month old membership drive weren't great.

But he added that the public's interest level in federal politics is increasing every day.

"A lot of the people we're talking to are interested. They want to know who our candidate is and what's been going on with the party," said Ramsay.

"I think people's enthusiasm and desire to get a membership will increase over time," he said.

However, that's not putting much money into the association's coffers.

Association director Wayne Bryant said, in unveiling a corporate donation strategy, that a target group hasn't been picked and probably won't.

"We'll take what we can get. A thousand dollars is more than what we have now," he said.

The association is hoping that strategy, along with a fundraiser planned for early next year and a successful membership drive, will put some cash into its empty war chest.

"The last few weeks I've been approached by quite a few people," said Bryant. "They're saying they're coming back."