Ottawa Sun, June 18, 1996
Ottawa's John Turmel is such a
loser that the Guinness Book of
World Records will recognize him for running in the most
electoral
campaigns and not winning.
Perhaps the only thing easier to
predict than Sheila Copps's
victory in the Hamilton East federal by-election was
Abolitionist
Party candidate John Turmel's defeat.
Turmel's political career has been
such a spectacular series of
failures the Guinness Book of World Records is about to
create a new
category for him.
And he didn't disappoint last night,
easily coasting to his 41st
election loss in 17 years.
But the 45-year-old Turmel -- a
professional Poker player when
he's not running for political office -- says he's not
judging his
campaign's success by whether he wins or loses.
Turmel was more interested in
getting other candidates in the
riding to support the computerized barter system of currency
he's been
pushing since he founded the Abolitionist Party in 1993. He
managed to
entice four of the 13 candidates to sign a petition
recommending the
federal government adopt his "Green dollar" system.
His losing streak has landed him a
spot in the 1997 edition of
the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest political
loser on
the planet.
[1] See Hamilton Spectator follow-up press
Home