On The World Scene - Gene H Hogberg - February 21, 1978

Gene H Hogberg

CANADIAN ELECTION CAMPAIGN: Election fever is building in Canada where sometime later this spring, or possibly by fall, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau may be facing the sternest test of his ten-year rule. A Trudeau defeat could have dramatic consequences for Canada in the light of the continuing battle over Quebec separatism. Trudeau's opponent, representing the Progressive Conservatives, is 38-year-old Joe Clark from Alberta, a virtual unknown outside Canada (some wags say inside as well.) Polls show that Trudeau's Liberals are losing, favor, due mainly to Canada's faltering economy. The Canadian dollar has now slipped to U.S. $.89; unemployment is a stubborn 8.5%; inflation 9.5%. Clark, however, hasn't necessarily picked up support; more Canadian voters just describe themselves as "undecided." - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library