MISSISSAUGA, Oct 3, 2003
THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
GARY MCCARTHY
Vic Dhillon provided one of the more dramatic moments in what
was otherwise a foregone conclusion.
Dhillon, a relative unknown in provincial political circles,
pulled off a major upset in Brampton West-Mississauga last night
as Mississauga became awash in a sea of Liberal red. He won
the riding for the Liberals, defeating Conservative star Tony
Clement by more than 2,500 votes.
"It was an uphill battle, but it was all done with hard
work," said Dhillon as he was mobbed by hundreds of supporters
when he arrived at the Bombay Palace banquet hall shortly after
11 p.m.
"We always knew we were going to win," continued
Dhillon, shouting so that he could be heard above the cheering
crowd that numbered close to 1,000. "In '99, I thought
I was going to win and I didn't. I wouldn't have gotten into
it this time if I didn't think we had a good chance to win."
When he finally got an opportunity to address the audience,
most of whom had waited almost three hours for him to arrive
at the party, he told them in his native Punjabi: "Tonight,
we brought down an elephant."
Dhillon, who works as the executive assistant to federal MP
Colleen Beaumier, got a little more than 46 percent of the vote
in the riding. He had 28,925 votes, 2,541 more than Clement.
In 1999, Dhillon lost to Clement by 8,310 votes. In fact, Clement's
total last night was almost 2,000 votes more than what he received
four years ago when he romped to victory.
The two were locked in a tight battle last night with the lead
shifting back and forth. Dhillon finally gained an edge shortly
before 10 o'clock, and not long after, his margin was enough
that he was declared the winner of the seat.
Clement, who held four cabinet posts since 1977, told reporters
he knew he might be in trouble after conducting a poll in the
riding, which has more than 123,000 eligible voters.
"Fifty percent of the people told us they wanted change,"
said Clement, who was minister of health in the last government.
"I managed to knock that down a little, but obviously not
enough.
"So I guess Tony Clement picks himself up and dusts himself
off," he continued as he moved around the main hall at
the Lionhead Golf Club, thanking campaign workers and supporters.
"I'm going to worry about the things that matter to me.
I'm going to see more of my family, I might even take guitar
lessons with my son. And I intend to help rebuild my party,
my province and my country. I'm an idealist and my ideals are
intact."
And, he had one last word for everyone:
"Don't write my political obituary just yet."