When Canadians stayed up late to watch the 2000 U.S. election
Torontonians waited, along with everyone else, to find out if George Bush or Al Gore had won
Election Day was over in the United States, but the counting wasn't.
"If it isn't the closest U.S. presidential race in modern history, it's certainly the strangest," said Carole MacNeil, host of the Toronto edition of CBC's Canada Now on Nov. 8, 2000.
Voting day had been the day before, but the results remained unknown, even if a newspaper headline proclaimed otherwise.
"Bush wins a squeaker," said the front page of the Globe and Mail.
Florida recount
"Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore are still waiting for that recount in Florida," said MacNeil.
She said many people in Toronto had been "glued to their sets" the previous night, herself included, in hopes of finding out which candidate was the winner.
Reporter Debbie Lightle-Quan asked people on the street what they thought about the "historic night" and its significance.
Canadians watched closely
Despite finding it a "nail-biter," one man said he'd fallen asleep at 12:30 a.m.
"Woke up at 3:30 [a.m.] expecting to see it was all over, only to find out that it wasn't," he said.
A woman in a denim jacket said U.S. elections were "important" to Canadians.
"Maybe more important than our mayoral Toronto election, or our federal election, because their economy affects us so much," she said.
Robert Bell, chair of Democrats Abroad, was also awaiting results.
"Last I heard, the difference was about 700 votes," he said. "Assuming that our absentee voters' votes are still in transit to Florida, and we still have until Nov. 17 to arrive there, it could make a very big difference."
According to reporting at the time by CBC.ca, Bush was certified the winner on Dec. 19, 2000.
