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SCU Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau meeting crowds at political rally. (night)
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SV & ZOOM IN Trudeau with Chinese community.
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SV Trudeau and officials at another rally.
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SV TILT UP TO GV Trudeau enters radio station.
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CU Trudeau on radio. (4 SHOTS)
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GV Conservative leader Joe Clark at rally.
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SV & COOM OUT Clark talking to people.
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SV Clark and wife at rally. (3 SHOTS)
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SV Clark speaking.
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SV New Democrat leader Ed Broadbent meeting people (3 SHOTS)
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SCU Broadbent speaking.
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CLARK: "You know, that is a shocking statement for a Prime Minister, not least, the Prime Minister of country formed by so many people who came by choice and often with a feeling of great relief from totalitarian regimes in other parts of the world where the Prime Minister or the head of government of those communities said that people who disagreed with them were acting in a way that was almost treasonable. Well we have no place for that kind of attitude in the Prime Minister of this country." (applause)



BROADBENT: "If you give us the, if you give us the majority we will have the power and capacity to turn Canada right side up. Thank you." (applause)



Mr. Trudeau's Liberal Party suffered a setback on Monday (23 April) when voters in the province of Prince Edward Island voted the local Liberal Government from power. The Liberals had ruled the province for 13 years, but were easily defeated by the Progressive Conservatives. The Island was the only Canadian province run by the Liberal Party, which has consistently lost ground in provincial elections in recent years.




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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Canadians will go to the polls on May the twenty-second in an election which Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau has described as the most vital in his life. National unity and the state of the country's economy are emerging as the two central issues, though polls indicate that voters are also concerned about rising prices and unemployment.

SYNOPSIS: Since the campaign began at the beginning of April, Prime Minister Trudeau has been projecting an image of the 'strong leader in control'. In Vancouver's Chinatown he told a group of unemployed to 'get to work' and he had described farmers as 'professional complainers'.

On a radio talk-back show, he said the separatists wanted to "have their cake and eat it too". He said this was an issue, and those who said it wasn't were "almost treasonable to Canada".

The opposition Progressive Conservative Party, leader Joe Clark, said Mr. Trudeau was attacking the people of Canada while the Conservatives were tackling the country's problems. He said the election was being fought on the government's record during the past eleven years, not on national unity. Clark said the Prime Minister had weakened Parliament, alienated the provinces...and set Canadian against Canadian. Political polls give Mr. Clark a strong chance of winning the elections, and he quickly picked up the Prime Minister's reference to 'treason'.

The second major opposition party is the New Democrat Party, led by Ed Broadbent. He has accused Mr. Trudeau of provoking tension by telling voters in quebec that they have to choose between being Quebeckers or Canadians.