Both local MP's are claiming success after last week's by-elections
By Bill Rea

Both local MPs believe last Monday was a good night for their respective parties, after the four federal by-elections

The Liberals took all four seats in the 2006 general election, but were able to keep only three of them last week.

Bob Clarke won in the Saskatchewan riding of Desbethe - Missinippi - Churchill River for the Conservatives by more than 1,700 votes, and Liberal Joyce Murray hung on to Vancouver Quadra by only about 150. The other two contests, both in Toronto, offered few surprises. Former premier Bob Rae was handily elected for the Grits in Toronto Centre and Liberal Martha Hall Findlay was easily elected in Willowdale.

"I think we'll not be having a spring election," remarked York - Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan. "That's based on the Liberals doing very poorly."

"I can tell you, we did not expect such strong results," he added.

Van Loan pointed out there have been seven byelections since the 2006 campaign, all in ridings the Tories hadn't held going in. Yet they have won two of those races, and came close in two others.

"It confirms sort of what I keep hearing when i talk to constituents," he remarked, adding that is that people are happy with the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

But Oak Ridges - Markham MP Lui Temelkovski had a different view of the results.

"I think they were great," he declared, observing the three new Liberal MPs were great candidates.

"I did some doorknocking with all of them," he added, although he didn't get to Saskatchewan.

"It appears the NDP is losing some steam," he observed, pointing out the party came in last in Willowdale, more than 200 votes behind the Green party. He also pointed out the Tory candidate in Toronto Centre was fourth, behind both the Green and NDP standard-bearers.

"I think what this is really telling us is nothing is really moving much in terms of numbers," Temelkovski observed.

He did agree with Van Loan that an election is not likely to come soon.

"I still don't think it's going to happen until maybe later in the fall," he remarked, "but my signs are ready."