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."