Tough guy   Edmonton Sun editorial December 28, 2000 Prime Minister Jean Chretien has proclaimed that he intends to adopt a "tough love" approach to Western Canadians in the New Year and make us understand we have to vote in the nation's interests. Actually, we contend when voters in the four Western provinces gave Chretien's party just 14 out of 88 seats on Nov. 27, we thought we were voting in the nation's best interests. We just didn't vote in the Liberal party's best interests. That's also why we gave Stockwell Day's Canadian Alliance a resounding vote of confidence -- 64 out of the 88 seats. But no, in the prime minister's view, we are simply parochial and do not understand national issues. What arrogance the prime minister has. How condescending he is about Western aspirations. And how insulting to us. For Chretien compared Western alienation to Quebec separatism, and suggested he was going to tackle the West in the same way he fought separatism in Quebec. He has obviously no idea what he is talking about. The Canadian Alliance can't be compared to the Parti Quebecois or the Bloc Quebecois. The Alliance has never espoused anything except loyalty to this country. Yet, recall, this is the man who, during the campaign, openly said he didn't like to deal with Alberta politicians and pitted one region, Ontario, against the West in order to win a majority government. As an aside, while he talks about having beaten Quebec separatism, his own lackadaisical attitude almost allowed the separatists to win the 1995 referendum. Now, in his blind egotism, he dares to suggest we need to be educated so as to understand his Liberal government's policies better. Apparently, professorial Unity Minister Stephane Dion is even going to be dispatched on a speaking tour of the West to lecture us on how to be "good" Canadians. Well, Jean, we already understand your government's policies way better than you think we do, and we see matters much more clearly than you think we do. That's why so few of us out here vote for you, and why so few of us ever will