The House of Commons after the 2006 election, resulting in a Conservative minority government (in blue)

During the history of Canadian politics there have been eleven previous minority governments on the federal level, and a number provincially. The twelfth federal minority government was elected in the 2006 election. Image File history File links Canada_2006_Federal_Election_seats. ... Image File history File links Canada_2006_Federal_Election_seats. ... A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed by the leading political party when it has won a plurality but not a majority of seats in the parliament. ... The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally, the 39th General Election) was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

In a minority situation, governments must rely on the support of other parties to stay in power, providing less stability than a majority government. At the federal level, no minority government has lasted a standard term, and most have lasted less than two years. In the Westminster System, a majority government is one in which the government enjoys an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or Parliament. ...

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Liberal minority after the 1921 election

Liberal minority after the 1925 election

Liberal minority after the 1926 election

• Seats short of a majority 1921: 1
• Seats short of a majority 1925: 22
• Seats short of a majority 1926: 7

Canada's first minority government was a result of the rise of the Progressive Party in western Canada. In the 1921 election the Liberals under William Lyon Mackenzie King fell one seat short of a majority government. The almost seventy member strong Progressive contingent had little unity and there was always at least one that would vote with the government on any matter. Mackenzie King thus governed as if he had a majority. File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1921 Minority governments in Canada ... File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1921 Minority governments in Canada ... Image File history File links Cdn1925. ... Image File history File links Cdn1925. ... Image File history File links Cdn1926. ... Image File history File links Cdn1926. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1921 election The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1925 election The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1926 election The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1921 election The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, LL.B, Ph. ...

In the 1925 election, the Progressives fell to 25 seats, but the Liberals won only 101 seats. both losing seats to the Conservative Party, which won 116. The Progressive were far closer to the Liberals, and Mackenzie King as Prime Minister had the first option of forming a government. He did so and governed with the help of the Progressives until June 1926. The Canadian parliament after the 1925 election The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. ... Stephen Harper is the current Prime Minister of Canada. ...

In 1926, a scandal over the customs department cost Mackenzie King the support of the Progressives. He thus asked the Governor General to dissolve parliament and hold another election. Viscount Byng of Vimy, the Governor General, refused, and opted to give the Conservatives a chance to govern. This infuriated Mackenzie King who felt that the appointed Governor General should not be able to override the Prime Minister. This led to the King-Byng Affair. The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneure générale du Canada or Gouverneur général du Canada) is the representative of the Canadian monarch. ... Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy (September 11, 1862 - June 6, 1935) was commander of the Canadian army in World War I, and later became Governor General of Canada. ... Mackenzie King requested a dissolution of Parliament Lord Byng refused to dissolve Parliament The King-Byng Affair refers to a 1926 Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred when the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Byng of Vimy, refused a request by the Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King, to...

Arthur Meighen of the Conservatives was given his chance to govern, but his attempt to lead a minority government failed in September of 1926. In the subsequent election, the Liberals used the furor over the King-Byng Affair to win a strong majority government. Arthur Meighen, PC , QC , BA , LL.D (June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was the ninth Prime Minister of Canada from July 10, 1920, to December 29, 1921, and June 29 to September 25, 1926. ...

Arthur Meighen

Conservative¹ minority after the 1925 election

• Seats short of a majority 1926: 8

Arthur Meighen led two short lived Conservative governments. The first was a majority at the end of 13th parliament, elected in 1917 under the Unionist ticket. The second government was a minority in 1926. Meighen's conservatives won a plurality of the seats in the previous 1925 election, however a government was instead formed via an agreement between the Liberals and Progressives. After King's Liberals had lost the progressives' support he requested parliament to be dissolved by then governor general, Lord Byng, resulting in the King-Byng Affair. The resulting conflict caused King to shortly resign as prime minister, and Byng subsequently appointed Meighen as prime minister. On July 1, 1926, a week after Byng appointed him prime minister, Meighen lost a confidence vote in the House of Commons resulting in the 1926 election. Image File history File links Cdn1925. ... Image File history File links Cdn1925. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1925 election The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Arthur Meighen, PC , QC , BA , LL.D (June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was the ninth Prime Minister of Canada from July 10, 1920, to December 29, 1921, and June 29 to September 25, 1926. ... The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1917 election The 1917 Canadian federal election (sometimes referred to as the khaki election) was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament (MPs) in Canada who supported the Union government formed by Sir Robert Borden during World War I. In May 1917, Conservative Prime Minister Borden proposed the formation of a national unity government or coalition government to Liberal leader Sir... The Canadian parliament after the 1925 election The Canadian federal election of 1925 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy (11 September 1862–6 June 1935) was a career British Army officer who served as commander of the Canadian army in World War I, and later became Governor General of Canada. ... Mackenzie King requested a dissolution of Parliament Lord Byng refused to dissolve Parliament The King-Byng Affair refers to a 1926 Canadian constitutional crisis that occurred when the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Byng of Vimy, refused a request by the Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King, to... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non confidence, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... The Canadian parliament after the 1926 election The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

¹Not elected as such

John Diefenbaker

Tory minority after the 1957 election

Tory minority after the 1962 election

• Seats short of a majority 1957: 22
• Seats short of a majority 1962: 17

After many decades of Liberal rule, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, led by John Diefenbaker, unexpectedly won a minority government in the 1957 election. Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, seeing the mood of the nation, stepped aside and let Diefenbaker govern. Diefenbaker needed the support of the Social Credit Party of Canada and three independents to get any legislation passed. This minority lasted only a few months. The seminal moment was Lester Pearson announcing to Diefenbaker that because of the slight decline in economic performance, and the fact that the Liberals had won the popular vote, he should hand power back to the Liberals. Diefenbaker, in a rage, launched a 2 hour speech condemning the Liberals, and revealing a document from the previous government predicting the economic decline. Diefenbaker would soon call an election, and win the largest majority government in Canadian history. File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1957 Minority governments in Canada ... File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1957 Minority governments in Canada ... Image File history File links Cdn1962. ... Image File history File links Cdn1962. ... The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957. ... When the Canadian federal election of 1962 was called, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada of John George Diefenbaker had governed for almost five years with the largest majority in the House of Commons in Canadian history. ... The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. ... John George Diefenbaker, CH , PC , QC , BA , MA , LL.B , LL.D , DCL , FRSC , FRSA , D.Litt , DSL (September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada (1957 – 1963). ... The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957. ... The Right Honourable Louis Stephen St. ... The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative - populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform. ... The Right Honourable Lester Bowles Mike Pearson (April 23, 1897 - December 27, 1972) was the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968, and also a 1957 Nobel Laureate. ... The 24th general election was held just nine months after the 23rd and transformed Prime Minister John Diefenbakers minority into the largest ever majority government in Canadian history. ...

The Diefenbaker government ended badly with party infighting, a poor economy and controversies over relations with the United States during the Kennedy administration. In the 1962 election, the Tories won only a minority. This time, the momentum was with the Liberals and the imploding Tories were all but incapable of governing due largely to a split in Diefenbaker's Cabinet over the deployment of Bomarc missiles in Canada. The government was defeated in the House on a confidence issue on February 5, 1963, forcing the 1963 federal election which the Tories lost. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... When the Canadian federal election of 1962 was called, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada of John George Diefenbaker had governed for almost five years with the largest majority in the House of Commons in Canadian history. ... The Cabinet of Canada plays an important role in the Canadian government in accordance with the Westminster System. ... The Bomarc Missile Program was a joint United States of America-Canada effort during 1957 to 1971 to protect against the USSR bomber threat. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Template:C20YearInnTopic 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... The Canadian federal election of 1963 resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker. ...

Lester B. Pearson

Liberal minority after the 1963 election

Liberal minority after the 1965 election

• Seats short of a majority 1963: 5
• Seats short of a majority 1965: 2

In the 1963 election, the Liberals, led by Lester B. Pearson, were also unable to win a majority. The next three years were productive ones, however, as a close working relationship between the Liberals and the New Democratic Party (NDP) resulted in he introduction of Canada's health care system, the Canadian flag, and the Canada Pension Plan. In 1965, Pearson asked the Governnor General to dissolve Parliament in an attempt to win a majority, but the make up of parliament after the 1965 election remained almost exactly the same, leading to three more years of a productive alliance between the Liberals and NDP. File links The following pages link to this file: Minority governments in Canada Canadian federal election, 1963 ... File links The following pages link to this file: Minority governments in Canada Canadian federal election, 1963 ... Image File history File links Cdn1965. ... Image File history File links Cdn1965. ... The Canadian federal election of 1963 resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker. ... In the Canadian federal election of 1965, the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Canadian federal election of 1963 resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of John George Diefenbaker. ... Lester Bowles Mike Pearson, PC, CC, OM, OBE, MA, LL.D. (April 23, 1897 – December 27, 1972) was a Canadian statesman, diplomat and politician who was made a Nobel Laureate in 1957. ... The New Democratic Party (NDP) is a political party in Canada with a social democratic philosophy and moderate democratic socialist tendencies that contests elections at both the federal and provincial levels. ... The term medicare (in lowercase) (French: assurance-maladie) is the unofficial name for Canadas universal public health insurance system. ... Flag Ratio: 1:2 (1965-Present) The National Flag of Canada (), popularly known as the Maple Leaf Flag (French: lUnifoli the one-leaved), is a base red flag with a white square in its centre, featuring a red stylized 11-pointed maple leaf. ... The Canada Pension Plan (or CPP) is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. ... In the Canadian federal election of 1965, the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the Canadian House of Commons. ...

Canada's constitutional law dealing with minority governments was altered in 1968 when Pearson's government was unexpectedly defeated on a matter of confidence. While this should have led to an immediate dissolution of parliament, none of the parties were ready, and Pearson was in the process of being replaced as leader of the Liberals. By mutual agreement among the party leaders, a new motion was passed that retroactively declared that the budgetary matter on which the government was defeated was not a matter of confidence, setting a new precedent. A Matter of Confidence is an important bill passed by the responsible house (i. ... In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election. ...

Pierre E. Trudeau

Liberal minority after the 1972 election

• Seats short of a majority 1972: 23²

In the 1972 election, the Liberals under Pierre Trudeau won only two seats more than the Tories. It was the second election for Trudeau as party leader. However, even though the Liberals entered the election strong in the polls, the Trudeaumania buzz had all but evaporated, and the party was further damaged by a weak economy. With few issues to campaign on, and one of the weakest campaigns in Canadian history, they were again forced to rely on the NDP to remain in power. In this instance, the NDP demanded the creation of Petro-Canada among other things to support the Liberals. The government fell on May 8, 1974, on a sub-amendment to the budget (thus a question of confidence). The Trudeau Liberals won a large majority government in the resulting 1974 federal election. File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1972 ... File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 1972 ... The House of Commons after the 1972 election The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The House of Commons after the 1972 election The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Pierre Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984. ... Trudeaumania was the affectionate nickname given to the great excitement generated by Pierre Trudeaus entry into Canadian politics in 1968. ... Petro-Canada is a Canadian oil and gas firm headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... In the Westminster System, a majority government is one in which the government enjoys an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or Parliament. ... The House of Commons after the 1974 election The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

²Speaker was elected as independent

Joe Clark

Tory minority after the 1979 election

• Seats short of a majority 1979: 6

While the Liberals have had first the Progressives and later the NDP to support them in minority situations, the Progressive Conservatives had little experience attracting support as a minority government. Seven months after the 1979 election which ended 11 years of Trudeau Liberal government the Tory government of Joe Clark was defeated in motion of no confidence in the governent and its budget moved by Bob Rae of the NDP and supported by the Liberals. see for legend File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... see for legend File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The House of Commons after the 1979 election The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The House of Commons after the 1979 election The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Budget generally refers to a list of all planned expenses and revenues. ... Robert Keith (Bob) Rae, PC , OC, O.Ont , QC , LL.B , LL.D (born August 2, 1948, in Ottawa, Ontario) was the 21st premier of Ontario, and the first leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) to serve in that capacity. ...

Clark might have prevented this defeat had his government agreed to support the Québec based Social Credit Party in its bid to maintain official party status — the party's seat total had fallen to six seats as a result of the 1979 election. However, Clark had hoped to follow the precedent set by Diefenbaker and pledged to "govern as if" he had a majority and then advance to a majority government through a new election without having to make deals with smaller parties. He also wished to win seats in Québec in his own right and saw the conservative, populist Social Credit Party as an obstacle rather than a potential partner. As a result of Clark's refusal to extend recognition to Social Credit its MPs abstained in the Non-Confidence vote that brought down the Clark government on December 13, 1979, a defeat caused by the Social Credit abstention and the absence of a handful of Tory MPs due to illness or travel. The dissolution was portrayed as a blunder and the budget Clark fought 1980 election on was unpopular with voters. On February 18, 1980, the PCs were defeated by the Trudeau Liberals who were elected to a majority government. During the 1960s, a terrorist group known as the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) launched a decade of bombings, robberies and attacks on government offices. ... The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative - populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform. ... A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non confidence, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The House of Commons after the 1980 election The 1980 Canadian federal election was called when the minority Progressive Conservative government led by Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... In the Westminster System, a majority government is one in which the government enjoys an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or Parliament. ...

Paul Martin

Liberal minority after the 2004 election

• Seats short of a majority 2004: 20

Although the 2004 federal election was initially expected to be easy for Martin to win a fourth consecutive Liberal majority government, during the campaign many began instead to predict a far closer result. Mostly due to the sponsorship scandal, polls started to indicate the possibility of a minority government for the Liberals, or even a minority Conservative government, which in turn created speculation of coalitions with the other parties. Towards the end of the campaign, the Liberals were running attack ads against the Conservatives. In the end, the Liberals fared better than the final opinion polls had led them to fear, but not well enough to win a majority. File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 2004 ... File links The following pages link to this file: Canadian federal election, 2004 ... The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The sponsorship scandal is an ongoing scandal that has affected the government of Canada, and particularly the ruling Liberal Party of Canada for a number of years, but rose to especially great prominence in 2004. ...

On May 10, 2005, a motion was passed by the opposition parties in the House of Commons to instruct a committee to call for the dissolution of the government. The Conservatives and Bloc Québécois defeated the Liberals and the NDP by 153 votes to 150. Although the motion was technically nothing more than a procedural instruction to a committee, the Conservatives and Bloc demanded the resignation of the government. There is ongoing debate between parties and constitutional experts as to whether or not this was a vote of no confidence. For further details, see CBC news. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Parliamentary Opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. ... The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada that is devoted to the promotion of sovereignty for Quebec. ... A Motion of No Confidence, also called Motion of Non Confidence is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ...

On May 19, 2005, the House voted on two budget bills, deemed unquestionable matters of confidence. With the support of two Independents and Conservative MP Belinda Stronach - who crossed the floor to the Liberals, and Martin brought into the Liberal cabinet as the Human Resources minister - the result of the vote was a tie, which was broken in favour of the government by the Speaker, resulting in a vote of 153-152. May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Hon. ... In politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines. ...

On November 24, 2005, the Opposition Conservatives introduced a motion of non-confidence. The motion was seconded by the NDP. On November 28, the government was defeated by a margin of 171 to 133, having been defeated by the united Opposition forces (Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc Québecois.) In the early morning of November 29, 2005, Martin went to Governor General Michaëlle Jean to ask for the dissolution of parliament and a January 23, 2006 election. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ... A Governor-General (in Canada, Governor General) is most generally a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above ordinary governors . ... Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, CD (born September 6, 1957 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is the current Governor General of Canada. ... In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election. ... The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally, the 39th General Election) was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

Stephen Harper

Conservative minority after the 2006 election

• Seats short of a majority 2006: 30³

Although several public opinion polls predicted that the 2006 election would result in either a strong Conservative minority or a slight majority, the Liberals enjoyed a last-minute surge but were unable to overtake the Conservatives. However, the surge did result in the smallest minority government in Canadian history, with the fewest pecentage of government seats ever and the largest number of seats short of a majority. All parties held the balance of power, the Liberal party with 102³ seats, the Bloc Québécois with 51 seats, and the NDP with 29 seats. André Arthur, a popular radio host from Quebec City, was the only independent elected. As Liberal Peter Milliken has been reelected as Speaker, the Conservatives now effectively hold a minority only 29 seats short of a majority as the Speaker traditionally votes only to break a tie and always in favor of the government. Thus, the Conservatives hold a majority together with any one of the opposition parties assuming no defections. Image File history File links Canada_2006_Federal_Election_seats. ... Image File history File links Canada_2006_Federal_Election_seats. ... The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally, the 39th General Election) was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... André Arthur André Arthur, is a radio host and politician from Quebec City. ... Motto: « Don de Dieu feray valoir Â» (I shall put Gods gift to good use) Site in the province of Quebec Official logo Provincial region Province Country Capitale-Nationale Quebec Canada Gentilé Québécois, Québécoise Mayor Term Andrée P. Boucher 2005-2009 federal Members of Parliament... Hon. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress. ...

Stephen Harper leads a minority Conservative government and was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 6th. Bill Graham is the leader of the opposition. As of March 18, 2006 Graham has been Intermim leader of the Liberal party and will remain so until a leadership convention is held. Paul Martin resigned as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada on that date in order to quell any rumours that he might run in any future election. Stephen Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ... William C. (Bill) Graham, PC, MP, QC, B.A.(Hon. ... The Leader of the Opposition (French: Chef de lOpposition) in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (the body in Parliament recognized as the Official Opposition). ... Following the defeat of his Liberal government in the 2006 federal election, Paul Martin announced that he would not lead the party into another election, prompting a Liberal leadership convention to replace him. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ...

³Initial results of the 2006 election indicated that the Conservatives would fall 31 seats short of a majority. However, after the election but before the new Parliament took office, Liberal David Emerson crossed the floor to join the Conservatives and Stephen Harper's cabinet amidst some controversy. This increased the size of the Conservative caucus to 125 seats, only 30 seats short of a majority. Hon. ... In politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines. ...