Canada: A Duel of Images

With his campaign gaffes, a new Prime Minister puts his job in jeopardy

Standing hunched over a plastic lectern at the right side of the stage in Toronto's Royal York Hotel was Canada's silver-haired new Prime Minister, John Turner, 55. Across from him was Brian Mulroney, 45, a jut-jawed businessman from Quebec who heads the opposition Conservative Party. In the final of three televised debates last week, the leaders of Canada's two largest political groups were sharing the spotlight with the New Democratic Party's Edward Broadbent, who has placed a distant third in the polls. With little to lose, Broadbent was the most relaxed of the contenders. But for the two photogenic front runners, it was the start of a sprint to the finish for the national elections that will be held on Sept. 4.

Turner began the parliamentary race three weeks ago with a seven-point lead over Mulroney. But the Conservative pushed ahead as Turner fumbled his way through a series of gaffes. As of late last week polls showed Mulroney with a comfortable edge of 14 points.

Thus the Prime Minister was eager to use the vital third debate to recover lost ground for his Liberal Party, and he pressed Mulroney hard on the issue of women's rights. With his head slightly lowered and his steely blue eyes fixed on his opponent, Turner declared, "Mr. Mulroney sat in the House of Commons for ten months, and he asked only 39 questions. Not one of those questions dealt with women's issues." Finally, after a lackluster showing in the earlier debates, Turner was proving that he could be a tough adversary.

Canadians are likely to see a good deal of heated sparring in the campaign's final days. For the first time in nearly 16 years, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the urbane and often acerbic former Prime Minister, is not at center stage. Although his policies and personality had commanded world attention for a country so often hidden in the shadow of its powerful neighbor to the south, Trudeau has scarcely been heard from since announcing last March that he would not seek a fifth term. Says Douglas McNaughton, chairman of Ottawa's Public Affairs Institute: "We are at the end of the Trudeau era. The public is in the mood for a change."

No matter who wins the election, Canada is certain to make a move toward the center. On the campaign trail, Turner has, at times, sounded more like Mulroney than like Trudeau. The new Prime Minister has called for greater flexibility in guidelines that control foreign investment in Canada and talked of easing federal government controls over energy prices. Mulroney, on the other hand, has promised not to make drastic cuts in Canada's generous social-welfare system and has said that he agrees with the Liberals on the need to develop job-training programs for young people, who have been hardest hit by the shrunken job market. In a notable break with Trudeau, both Turner and Mulroney have avoided gratuitous complaints about U.S. dominance of the Canadian economy.