Parties claim success after by-elections
By Bill Rea

The results of last month's federal byelections were good news for the Conservatives, according to David Tilson.

The MP for Dufferin - Caledon said he and his caucus colleagues "were really pleased" with the results.

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.

"All the seats were Liberal seats (going in)," Tilson observed.

He added the two seats in Toronto have been in the Grit fold for a long time. "It was pretty hard for the Liberals to lose them," he observed.

He also pointed out the Tories were supposed to lose the seat in Saskatchewan, where Liberal Leader Stephane Dion had appointed candidate Joan Beatty. He commented that Dion doesn't have a good track record with candidates he's named.

The election of Murray, in what was thought to be a safe seat, and it "turned out to be a squeaker."

Tilson also admitted he was surprised at the way things went.

"The Liberals were supposed to do much better, so yes, I am surprised," he remarked "I'm surprised and very pleased."

"I thought they were very encouraging from the Green party perspective," commented Ard Van Leeuwen, who has been nominated to run under the Green banner in Dufferin - Caledon in the next election.

He said the Green candidates tripled the party tallies from the 2006 election in two of the ridings, and they were 50 per cent better in the other two.

"We've been inching up in the polls," he added.