Tory Sweep

In four by-elections last week, Canadian voters gave their Liberal government one of its sharpest wrist-slappings in 16 years of power. Opposition Tories won all four. The winners:

P:In Prince Edward Island, J. Angus MacLean, 36, farmer and World War II flyer, who broke the P.E.I. tradition by not buying drinks for the voters on election day.

P:In Ontario, Howard William ("Howie") Meeker, 26, right wing on the Toronto Maple Leafs, the third big-time hockey player to hold a seat in this Parliament.

P:In Manitoba, Gordon M. Churchill, 52, schoolteacher turned lawyer, who won the Distinguished Service Order as a World War II lieutenant, colonel.

P:Also in Manitoba, Walter Dinsdale, 35, assistant professor of social economy at Brandon College, who hired a plane equipped with a loudspeaker to harangue prairie voters.

The Tory sweep, a surprise to both government and opposition, clearly signified a protest vote. It was aimed principally at the soaring cost of living (up 10% in the past year), high taxes and credit restrictions. The Liberals still held a top-heavy majority in Parliament (188 seats to 46 for the Tories, 28 for others), but their setback seemed likely to produce policy changes. Among the Ottawa rumors: further steps against inflation; a cabinet shakeup. The government had had a warning that Canadian voters can tire even of the Liberals.

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