The Power and the Tories

By Bill Gay

For those political addicts like myself growing up in the sixties, watching the last Ontario election brought back memories of the Conservative machine that ruled Ontario. On the federal side, who will forget the flag debate that resulted in the Canadian maple leaf design we have today.

In school over those years, my friends and I talked politics a lot. I guess you could describe us as Canadian nationalists, so we were less likely to take the American viewpoint on things than the Pearson Liberals did, so we became workers for the Diefenbaker Conservatives and their candidate in Essex South, Amherstburg's Dick Thrasher. On the provincial side I recall us going into the ancient town hall in Essex and telling organizer Don Wilson we wanted to support Tory incumbent Bill Murdoch. The first Ontario Premier I recall was Leslie Frost. Unlike today's sophisticated polls, Frost used to say he got a feel for the issues of the day when he stopped at the barber shop in his hometown of Lindsay. Frost was indeed a powerful figure in Ontario. David MacDonald, then leader of the CCF and later the NDP called Frost "the great tranquilizer" for his ability to make political peace and bring people of various viewpoints together. After what I heard some of our politicians call each other lately, Premier Frost's style would indeed be refreshing.

In the 1967 Ontario vote, Frost's successor John Robarts cruised to an easy victory. ( PC 69, Liberals 28, NDP 20). But here in Essex South, Don Paterson won easy for the Grits against Robart's hand picked candidate Tom Robson.

1967 was also a big year on the federal scene. One day I received a phone call from Rochester Township Reeve Chuck Mitchell, asking if a friend of mine, George Bedford, and myself would be youth delegates to the PC leadership convention. The party had just passed a rule stating that every delegation had to have at least 2 persons under 21. Quick to say yes, we spent the next months meeting with the road show of candidates all seeking our votes. I recall such people as former Diefenbaker cabinet ministers as Alvin Hamilton, George Hees, Mike Starr and Senator Wallace McCutcheon (former CE0 of Argus Corporation). For young guys this was pretty heady company. Soon it was time to take George's new black Mustang and head for Maple Leaf Gardens and the convention. Diefenbaker himself, would not withdraw and the prize went to Nova Scotia's Robert Stanfield. Stanfield, a very able politician, was buried in the Trudeau landslide. I can still remember wheeling around downtown Toronto listening to Diefenbaker's famous "One Canada" speech. "Freedom and equality for all Canadians, whatever their lot in life and whatever their racial origin. One Canada, one nation."  To read more go to www.leamingtonpostandshopper.com.