
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 26, 1993                   TAG: 9310260203
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: TORONTO                                LENGTH: Medium

CANADIAN LIBERALS TAKE OVER LEADERSHIP AP. LIBERAL PARTY LEADER JEAN CHRETIEN

Jean Chretien's left-of-center Liberals drew on widespread discontent with the economy to sweep to a surprisingly strong victory in national elections Monday, putting an end to nine years of Conservative rule.

The victory means Chretien, a Quebec lawyer known for his charm and integrity, will be the next prime minister of this country of 27 million. Kim Campbell, the first woman to serve in the country's highest office, will step down after four months.

But the result that jolted many Canadians was the probable second-place finish of the separatist Bloc Quebecois - a party dedicated to the breakup of Canada.

The Progressive Conservatives Party, which won by wide margins in 1984 and 1988, risked not even winning the 12 seats necessary to be classified an official party in the House of Commons.

The Liberals, in contrast, were headed for a solid majority in the 295-seat House of Commons. As a result, Chretien will not have to work with a minority government and depend on other parties to pass legislation.

The result could affect trade relations with the United States.

Chretien has promised to renegotiate articles on subsidies and dumping in the widely unpopular U.S.-Canada trade agreement, which opponents say has cost Canada hundreds of thousands of jobs.

It is unclear, however, what Chretien would do with the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed with the United States and Mexico. Canada's Parliament approved the accord in May.

The victory came from a sweep of virtually all of the seats in Canada's Atlantic provinces and Ontario, the most populous province, with 99 seats in the House.

Returns from eastern and central Canada showed the Liberals winning 156 seats and leading in 14 districts. The Bloc Quebecois had 49 seats and was leading in another. Campbell's Conservatives had won two seats and was leading in one. The western-based Reform Party was leading in 12 districts and the socialist New Democratic Party was leading in six.

During her months in office, Campbell struggled with the unpopular economic legacy of her predecessor, Brian Mulroney, and a campaign that slid downhill from Day 1. Unemployment stands at 11 percent.

Chretien campaigned on a $4.5 billion public works job-creation plan, as well as his promise to renegotiate the U.S.-Canada free trade agreement.

by CNB