Alliance votes for Stephen Harper

The Canadian Alliance left Stockwell Day by the wayside with 37% of the vote last week when they flocked to Stephen Harper in last week's leadership convention, awarding him 55% of the vote. Mr. Harper's election will provide a temporary shot in the arm to the Alliance's image with a public that had grown tired with Mr. Day's antics. Mr. Harper, former head of the National Citizen's Coalition, is expected to re-energize the party by putting heavy emphasis on policy development, which will centre around smaller government and clear demarcation of federal/provincial authority. This will stand in sharp contrast to the leadership of Mr. Day, which was characterized by a social conservative approach to politics. ``You have just voted to move our party forward into the future,'' Mr. Harper told a large crowd of cheering supporters after the results were announced. ``Now I ask you . . . to join me in rebuilding this party and to bring together all who share our values and our vision: Reformers, like-minded PCs and others, regardless of their previous political affiliation.''Mr. Harper's first challenge as leader is to gain a seat in the House of Commons, possibly in one of the seven by elections that are expected to be called before the summer.

Ernie Eves to be new Premier

ELeadership candidate Ernie Eves, the frontrunner in the race to replace outgoing Premier Mike Harris as Premier of Ontario, was voted in as leader earlier this week in a move that some believe indicates the party has chosen power over principle. Mr. Eves was seen as the candidate most likely to help the Tories, lagging in the polls to the opposition Liberals, close the gap and lead the party to victory in the next election. Mr. Eves is expected to face a tough job in upcoming months as he works to re-unite a party that is fractured over continuing on with the Common Sense or taking a more moderate approach. ``Some would choose confrontation over consultation. . . . I will not be that kind of premier,'' Mr. Eves remarked recently. Mr Eves returns to politics after retiring just over a year ago from a career that saw him hold both the Finance portfolio and the positions of Deputy Premier and Government House Leader.

US imposes softwood duties

In a move that has been called everything from ``obscene'' to ``gutless,'' the US government slapped crippling duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports, provoking howls of protest from Canadian producers. ``It's a big question mark on the Americans' record on free trade,'' Prime Minister Chrétien told reporters at an international development meeting in Mexico. The duties are expected to hit small communities in BC and Quebec the hardest, and several mills are already announcing closures and layoffs. ``We can't afford those kinds of numbers,'' said CEO Rick Doman of Doman Industries, a leading BC exporter. ``The 29 per cent duties are a disaster.'' The fight to have the duties reduced or removed is likely to take the form of continued challenges in NAFTA or the WTO, or a trade war in other industries.