As the Trail Times continues to celebrate 120 years of reporting local news, we've donned white gloves and browsed through historical newspapers, looking to highlight some of the City of Trail's landmark events.
As our decades-in-review nears its end in two months, it seemed fitting to write about what was happening in the Canadian political landscape from 1985 to 1995. There were plenty of front pages to choose, but Trail Times staff ultimately decided to feature results from the 1988 federal election.
The 34th Canadian general election was a game changer for what was then, the Kootenay West-Revelstoke riding. New Democrat Lyle Kristiansen was voted in by the largest margin of victory any party enjoyed in the riding since 1972.
Kristiansen gained 46 per cent of the vote, beating out Conservative Bob Brisco, Liberal Garry Jenkins and Green Party candidate Michael Brown.
(Kristiansen, who went on to serve a second term as New Democrat MP for Kootenay West, passed away this summer at the age of 76.)
Certain themes still resound today, because back then, the Free Trade agreement was hotly disputed (as is Trans-Pacific Partnership this year) and Conservative scandals abounded.
Nevertheless, Brian Mulroney won his second consecutive majority.
Election aside, another timely headline reads, “UIC appeal affect many,” which describes the legal battles of a 67-year old Montreal woman calling for full unemployment benefits for people over 65. First the federal court of appeal ruled that denying the woman full benefits after losing her job was age discrimination. The federal government then appealed that decision.
Fast forward to 2012, when instead of older workers fighting the government for benefits over 65, the Government of Canada ruled that by 2023, eligibility for Old Age Security will increase from 65 to 67.