Blondin-Andrew cruises to top
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 29/00) - It was quick and painless.
Incumbent Liberal MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew drubbed her opponents in this Western Arctic riding garnering 45.6 per cent of the popular vote, 20 per cent more than second - place finisher, NDP candidate Dennis Bevington.
There was much drink and laughter at Barkley's Restaurant at the Explorer Hotel, ground zero of the Liberal campaign team on election night.
Supporters watched the national results of the nastiest election in recent memory pour across the screen, cheering each of the 173 seats that fell to the Liberals while campaign workers mingled through the crowd reading out the latest territorial results.
Late into the evening, Ethel Blondin-Andrew sat on a couch in a hallway outside the restaurant, clearly exhausted but with adrenalin still running.
"Northerners are smart about their votes," said Blondin-Andrew, "they want to continue with the Liberal agenda."
Blondin-Andrew said her first order of business was to tackle the federal resource revenue sharing mechanism and to funnel more resources into the territory's infrastructure along with attempting to scrap per-capita funding for programs.
She said her relationship with Northerners is what set her apart during the election.
"People have...confidence in me," she said.
"I deal with things one person at a time, one constituency at a time, one policy at a time," said Blond-Andrew, adding, "there is no hierarchy in who we help."
Blondin-Andrew said the campaign's focus and organization also put her over the top and in her victory speech she credited Liberal campaign co-ordinator, Lynda Sorensen for being the stable hand that guided the ship.
"She should have co-ordinated the Prime Minister's campaign," said Blondin-Andrew to the throng of Liberal supporters.
Blondin-Andrew toured all 33 NWT communities in a little over a month. The travelling expenses put her campaign $20,000 over the $60,000 limit.
Campaign co-ordinator Lynda Sorensen said the touring put the campaign into dept but it was important the Liberal candidate met face to face with the voters.
"She knows everyone by name," said Sorensen, "she has a tremendous love of her land and her people."
Sorensen said the lack of defining issues during the Western Arctic campaign pointed to the general public's satisfaction of the incumbent Liberal MP's performance.
"There were no major issues in this campaign other than the ones manufactured (by the media)," said Sorensen.
There was little doubt early into the night that Blondin-Andrew would come out on top. Less than an hour after polls closed across the territory a Liberal government was declared by CBC Newsworld and calls from community Liberal contacts began to tell the tale of a Liberal route.
By 9 p.m. Blondin-Andrew had taken three communities and led Bevington by 170 votes in reported Yellowknife polls. When the call came to Liberal campaign headquarters on Franklin Ave. that she had won Ft. Providence, Blondin-Andrew exclaimed into her cell phone, "My friends, my people."
Blondin-Andrew had top to bottom support throughout the territory. Barkley's restaurant featured the who's who of the territorial government along with supporters from all corners of territorial life.
Territoria Premier Stephen Kakfwi was on hand at Barkley's to offer his congratulations. Also on hand were Yellowknife campaign co-chair and Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee, campaign policy co-ordinator and Great Slave MLA Bill Braden, Education Minister Jake Ootes and Justice Minister Jim Antoine.
The most touching moment of the night came when NDP candidate Dennis Bevington arrived to congratulate his grade school classmate on her win.
"I know that it's a difficult thing (to lose)," said Blondin-Andrew to Bevington as they clasped hands.
"It was an honourable contest and I congratulate you," said Bevington.
