By 1983 unemployment had become the most important issue on voters’ minds. The NDP decided to run on its jobs plan “Let’s Get to Work”. Social Credit had been following the restraint policies popular with Margaret Thatcher and other conservative parties around the world, holding down wages and cutting services. Barrett rightly said, from an NDP perspective, that if he was elected ‘restraint is gone’. He meant the program, not all restraint on everything, but Social Credit had a field day and the clip was repeated endlessly on TV news. Most observers say the statement likely cost the NDP the election. Tied in the polls going into the campaign, Social Credit once again eked out a win.
The Socred restraint years
