How PC leader Joe Clark fought to keep his job in 1983
CBC Archives | Posted: January 28, 2020 10:30 AM | Last Updated: January 28, 2020
Party convention included second leadership review in two years
No one was saying "Joe Who?" any more.
In January 1983, Joe Clark had been leader of the federal Progressive Conservatives for over six years and prime minister for nine months during that time.
But at the party's annual convention, in Winnipeg, some members were saying "Go Joe Go."
And that's why Clark's task was to convince the membership at large to vote No to a new leadership convention so that he could keep his job.
Live from the convention floor
CBC host Peter Mansbridge was bringing viewers live coverage from the convention floor on the night of Jan. 28, 1983, after the votes had been cast but before the results were announced.
"As far as Joe Clark is concerned, the most important people in the audience tonight, and the most important people who voted, were the undecided," he said. "They're the ones he had to reach with his speech."
Two years earlier, Clark had survived a leadership review in which one-third of the members had voted for a leadership contest.
This time around, correspondent Whit Fraser captured the contentious mood at the convention earlier that day.
"How do we vote? No! Who do we want? Joe!" chanted a coterie of Clark supporters as PC members began gathering en masse.
Other delegates distributed what Fraser called "anti-Clark press reports" in an effort to sway the undecided.
"Is that kind of stuff apt to change your mind any?" he asked a delegate.
"That's a lot of crap!" said another, butting in before ducking away.
Clark's supporters were well organized, getting to the front of the crowd that assembled to take their seats in the main convention hall and create a cheering section for his speech.
"I've learned a lot as leader of a party and leader of a government," Clark told the convention, according to the Globe and Mail. "I want to put that knowledge to work to win a decisive national election for this party and start a national recovery for this country."
Earlier in the day, members of the party had voted to end the mandatory leadership review every two years. Instead, a review would be triggered only after an election loss.
But that decision came too late for Clark.
Déjà vu ... with a difference
Once the members voted either Yes or No — Yes to a race for a new party leader or No to a leadership contest — Clark and his supporters could only wait.
He knew the result for about an hour before convention co-chair, MP Pat Carney, announced them to the convention and TV cameras.
"The total votes cast were 2,406," said Carney. "The number of votes No were 1,607."
That result was virtually identical to the support for Clark in 1981, when he stayed on as leader.
But this time was different. As he spoke to the members at the convention, Clark said the mandate was not clear enough.
Citing the need for unity within the party, he said he would be recommending to the national party executive that they call a leadership convention "at the earliest possible time."
That convention would take place later that year, in June. After four ballots, Quebec lawyer and businessman Brian Mulroney was chosen as the new leader.