Is Canadas veteran Prime Minister outstaying his welcome?
OTTAWA, Ontario (Reuters) — Some 40 years after a veteran Canadian leader suffered a stunning defeat in an early election designed to win him a third successive mandate, some wonder whether Prime Minister Jean Chretien runs the risk of repeating the feat. Chretien, 66, called a November 27 election to capitalize on the relative inexperience of his right-wing opponent from Western Canada — using the same tactics as 75-year-old prime minister Louis St. Laurent did in 1957. St. Laurent — well ahead in the polls just as Chretien is now — nevertheless lost to Conservative rival John Diefenbaker in a huge upset. Could Chretien suffer the same fate against federal novice Stockwell Day, who has only been leader of the right-wing western-based Canadian Alliance since July? “Remember Uncle Louis. This is the haunting sound for Liberals in this campaign,” wrote Lawrence Martin, respected commentator for the right-wing Ottawa Citizen newspaper. “The same Liberals now seek a mandate for a furth
