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