BOOK EXCERPT PASSAGES The fight of his life: John Turner and the free trade election Paul Litt In this riveting excerpt from Elusive Destiny, his new biography of John Turner, Paul Litt captures all the drama of the 1988 election, which the Liberal leader transformed into a referendum on free trade. After the fiasco of the 1984 election, Turner finally found his voice, and his issue, in his opposition to free trade. He had a lot to overcome, including a plot in his own party to oust him in mid-campaign. But in the English leaders’ debate he scored heavily on Brian Mulroney: “I believe you have sold us out.” Turner called it “the fight of my life.” And so it was, a gallant if ultimately losing campaign. Dans ce fascinant extrait de sa biographie de John Turner, Elusive Destiny, Paul Litt évoque les tensions qui ont présidées aux élections fédérales de 1988, transformées par le chef libéral en référendum sur le libre-échange. Après le fiasco du précédent scrutin de 1984, John Turner avait finalement trouvé sa voix et défini une stratégie : l’opposition au libre- échange. Mais son parcours sera semé d’embûches, le moindre n’étant pas le complot fomenté au sein même de son parti pour l’éjecter à mi-campagne. Toutefois, il aura marqué des points dans le débat des chefs en anglais par cette réplique lancée à Brian Mulroney : « Vous avez vendu notre pays au rabais. » Cette élection qu’il a vaillamment perdue a été selon ses propres termes « le combat de sa vie ». n October 1, 1988 Mulroney he finally agreed,” he told reporters. Pépin, the caucus lead on the issue, called on Governor General “The Liberal party is ready, our people had left this salient point unspeci- O Jeanne Sauvé and asked her are in place, we’re set to go.” Thomas fied. Turner said it would cost $4 bil- to dissolve Parliament. Election day Walkom, one of the journalists who lion, Raymond Garneau said that it would be November 21, seven and a had been so cynical about Turner in would be less, and Peter Connolly half weeks away. The Tories immedi- 1984, was impressed by his sincerity, estimated $8-10 billion. Each pro- ately rolled out more promises based concluding, “He has found his issue.” nouncement was captured on camera on their reading of government Turner embarked on his leader’s and edited into a comedic collage for polling data. Ed Broadbent arrogantly tour, which promptly went awry in a the evening news. Three days later, told the press that the campaign fashion that recalled the 1984 cam- after the media had a field day lam- would confirm the death of the Liber- paign. On October 5 he arrived in pooning the Liberals’ confusion, al Party, leaving a refreshingly simple Montreal to unveil a daycare policy Turner called a press conference to partisan landscape of Tories versus the that would create 400,000 new announce that the cost of the NDP. If this pronouncement had any spaces for preschoolers. This measure 400,000 spaces would top $10.1 bil- effect, it was to drive hesitant Liberals was already outlined in the forty- lion over seven years. back to their party, just as NDP sup- point Liberal platform. The Montreal The media concluded that the porters, responding to Turner’s posi- event was intended to flesh out Liberals, and their leader, continued to tion on free trade, began to details and publicize it. The be inept. When the Liberals subse- contemplate the heresy of voting Lib- announcement itself went smoothly quently presented their other policy eral. Turner’s opening salvo focused until journalists began to question planks, they made little impression. All squarely on the trade deal. “For two Turner and his retinue about the pol- the painstaking policy work of the pre- months, I have been asking the Prime icy’s cost. Poor communications vious months seemed to have been for Minister to let the people decide; today between Turner’s office and Lucie naught. Connolly took responsibility 70 OPTIONS POLITIQUES DÉCEMBRE 2011-JANVIER 2012 The fight of his life: John Turner and the free trade election BOOK EXCERPT for the daycare botch-up to shield ed. Turner’s leadership, it seemed, was Unfortunately, most journalists Turner, then further discredited himself one damned mutiny after another. continued to report on the old John by swearing at a reporter in the bar of Meanwhile, the Conservative Turner. They had previously lambasted Toronto’s Royal York Hotel a few days campaign had begun its mechanized him for having no policies, but having later. Soon the rumour mill was saying mobile assault on the nation. A care- a platform now did him little good. that he would be replaced, again reviv- fully orchestrated exercise modelled Television was, of course, notoriously ing memories of 1984, when Turner on recent American presidential cam- poor at communicating the complexi- had switched his campaign chair in paigns, it focused on staging positive ties of policy. Although Turner was midstream. images of the candidate for the televi- being enthusiastically received at his Another knife blade sank into sion news. Tory tour coordinators with campaign stops, his strong perform- Turner’s back on October 13, when fat event-staging manuals fanned out ance on the hustings was not making Martin Goldfarb, the Trudeau pollster across the land, scouting for appropri- it onto the nightly news. The “bum- bling leader” storyline still The Conservative campaign had begun its mechanized framed media reports. On mobile assault on the nation. A carefully orchestrated exercise October 12, for instance, he delivered a speech in Toron- modelled on recent American presidential campaigns, it to. “He’s limping! He’s focused on staging positive images of the candidate for the limping! Shoot that!” a tele- television news. vision producer exclaimed as Turner tried to manage he had inherited, and Tom Axworthy, ate backdrops and camera angles. The his back pain en route to the podium. the former Trudeau aide, published crowds who came to see Mulroney, Ignoring this interjection, Turner pro- Marching to a Different Drummer: An and the journalists who followed him, ceeded to deliver a fiery, passionate Essay on the Liberals and Conservatives were kept penned behind plastic speech against free trade to an audi- in Convention. Equating the Liberal chains at a safe distance from the ence of business people who favoured Party with the policies of Trudeau, the leader. the deal. CBC News ran a clip of a point book made ominous predictions of its Turner, in contrast, had no in the speech where he misspoke the imminent demise under misguided choice but to run a go-for-broke word “birthright,” making it sound leadership. Turner’s support for campaign. Henry Comor had intro- like “birth rate.” Meech Lake “repudiated his party’s duced him to the wireless micro- intrinsic heritage,” Goldfarb and phone, which allowed him to walk ne night, after a long day on the Axworthy wrote. Why he did so about onstage instead of standing at O campaign trail in New “remains a mystery.” Moreover, Turn- a podium. That helped expend some Brunswick, journalist Graham Fraser er was a right winger who had aban- of his nervous energy while adding a asked Turner to elaborate on his oppo- doned the natural Liberal bit of show-biz razzmatazz to his sition to free trade. Turner outlined his constituency of the poor, immigrants, appearances. Using their knowledge concerns about the deal and contextu- women, and labour. The book’s con- of their boss’s strengths, his team alized them within the history of tents and its timing seemed yet put him in situations where they Canada’s trade policy and its struggles another deliberate attempt to under- knew he performed well. But Turner for national autonomy. “Was he get- mine Turner. Here was Goldfarb, the was also far more comfortable than ting frustrated trying to get his mes- Liberals’ pollster, publicly criticizing he had been in the previous cam- sage across?” Fraser asked. Should he the party leader. A Goldfarb employ- paign. He held press conferences shift gears and look for something that ee, Senator Michael Kirby, held a key almost daily to announce policies might resonate more with the voters? position in the Liberal election cam- and answer questions. He mixed “We’re talking Canada here,” Turner paign. In press interviews, Goldfarb with journalists informally. He did replied. “If people are fed up with talk- and Axworthy said they had written open-line talk shows, waded into ing Canada, then I will have fought the book a year earlier and that Turn- press scrums, and left himself the last hurrah. But I will be able to er had since redeemed himself by exposed to chance encounters. This look myself in the mirror for the rest of endorsing different policies. But why was open-field running, and he my life. I mean, there hasn’t been a publish outdated criticisms in the proved sure on his feet. Part of the more important issue in terms of the middle of an election campaign? In credit for his performance was due direction of Canada since the war.” any event, the damage was done. The to his belief in his mission. On free One of the problems in discussing the incessant leadership gossip, sustained trade Turner was confident, sincere, free-trade deal, he continued, was that by the abortive August putsch and the and passionate — all qualities that the agreement was complex, and vot- April coup attempt, was reinvigorat- played well on television.