A Convention for Professionals: The PCs in Toronto

A Convention for Professionals: The PCs in Toronto JOSEPH WEARING It was thoroughly in character for Mr. Diefenbaker , through the sheer force of his personality, to dominate the Convention in a way that put his would-be successors on the sidelines. His every action - or rather his inaction in the waiting game that he played until his last-minute entry into the leadership race - gave the Convention its greatest suspense. He was the only speaker out of forty-odd leading Conservatives who could hold the attention of 7,000 in the sweating, vast oven of Maple Leaf Gardens. But his dominance proved illusory as his vote dwindled from 12 to 8 to 5 per cent of the vote during Saturday's balloting. In the end result, he not only endured a personal defeat, but he frittered away any influence he might have had in choosing his successor. Mr. Diefenbaker's motives will probably be debated for years. Why did he not announce his intention to retire on Thursday evening or Saturday morning (when he was advised that he would do badly )-or last January - and give the nod to the candidate most likely to continue his brand of Tory radicalism ? By the time he had entered the race and done so poorly on the first ballot it was too late, for he would have hurt any candidate he attempted to help. Or, if he was really serious about being re-elected to the leadership, why did he not make any of the obvious moves which would have ensured a sympathetic convention? Apart from the occasional flurry, there was no systematic attempt at getting Diefenbaker delegates chosen; the Convention Committee itself contained a majority who had wanted reassessment of the leadership in 1966. On the other hand, there were many who feared that Mr. Diefenbaker might split the party by walking out of the Convention or by claiming it was improperly constituted. What Journal of Canadian Studies would have happened if he had simply gone back to the Opposition Leader's office in Ottawa and refused to move? The Conservatives were so apprehensive that a Toronto Telegram poll found many delegates predicting disaster or a party split if Mr. Diefenbaker was a candidate and on Thursday the Telegram carried headlines - NIGHT OF CHAOS AHEAD. The Convention was undoubtedly the most unpredictable of any national leadership convention in Canadian history. The outcome of each of the previous Conservative conventions was generally anticipated before the balloting began. Of the three Liberal conventions, only that of 1919 was at all uncertain. There were many reasons for this - not only were there eventually eleven candidates, but only the eighth and ninth to enter the field aroused widespread enthusiasm. The first man in, Mr. John Maclean, a narrowly defeated Conservative candidate from Brockville, was a horse of a very dark shade. (The darkest of all was Mrs. Mary Walker-Sawka, a last-minute entry.) When the Convention was over, Mr. Maclean gave the following explanation of his surprise candidacy. Mr. Diefenbaker, soon after the November call for a convention, asked that it be held as early as possible. For two months, no candidates had come forward and Mr. Maclean felt it his duty to break the ice for the other candidates to prevent Mr. Diefenbaker from declaring that there was no contest and that the convention could be held immediately. One wonders if Mr. Fulton and Mr. Hees needed much encouragement to get into the race, but Mr. Maclean's account is plausible. In any case, Maclean surprised the Convention by showing that he was not a crank, but an engaging, confident speaker - certainly backbench, if not leadership, material. The next entrants were two of the most popular and successful ministers in the Diefenbaker cabinet, but Mr. Fulton's unsuccessful attemp to revive the Conservative Party in British Columbiaprovincial politics and Mr.Hees's playboy image raised doubts which neither was able to dispel in spite of a long campaign. Besides, both had been on the centre stage of federal politics for over ten years (with just a short exit 3 after the 1963 election) and the political audience , notoriously fickle, wanted new faces. (The votirig...