Canada Experiments with the ‘Other’ Side

The Liberal Party has always been perceived as Canada’s natural majority party. However, this perception changed on January 23. The Conservative Party was created by party leader Stephen Harper late in 2003, in response to constant friction between two right-wing parties attempting to merge. The project ended in success in January, as it took over 124 seats in the Canadian House of Commons with the Liberal Party gaining only 103 seats.

While most Canadian newspapers and radio talk show hosts admit that it was time for a change in government from “a Liberal Party that had become smug and arrogant”, the Conservative Party will only be allowed a limited amount of power to change current policies. 155 seats are needed to receive majority power, so the Conservative party, while gaining more seats than the Liberal party or the left-leaning New Democratic Party, is still only granted minority power.

Shortly after the victory, Harper spoke to citizens in Calgary, promising that “each and every day I will assure you of one thing - I will dedicate myself to making Canada more united, stronger, more prosperous, and a safer country”, as well as addressing several problems involving crime and healthcare services.

Paul Martin, current Prime Minister, was shocked by the elections and stated that he would not be leading the Liberal Party into the next election. Martin, ousted by the current party shift, inherited a majority party when he was elected in December of 2003. The party has slowly diminished over the past few years, losing its majority power in 2004, continuing its steady decline into last month, when it received only 30% of the popular vote - an embarrassing all time low. Much of the Liberal Party’s constituency losses can be attributed to a slew of recent “sponsorship scandals” involving the use of government funds to pay advertising firms meant to build up support for a federal unity in French-speaking Quebec.

Harper, while labeled by liberals as a far-right conservative comparable to Bush, has claimed that he will not bring Canada into the US coalition in Iraq, and has pledged not to change the country’s abortions laws. He has, however, vowed to revisit Canada’s decision to allow gay-marriage, a controversial issue that was legalized during Martin’s incumbency and one which Harper opposes.

The Conservative Party may have won the support of the people, but maintaining this support will be the focus over the next few years. Trends show that minority governments have, in the past, only maintained power for as much as eighteen months. The Liberal Party, which has prevailed for a mere seventeen months, has done so with the support of mainly the New Democratic Party, as well as other independents. However, the Conservative Party has shown no sign of allies within Parliament and will have to fight to keep their position and prove to the Canadian people, amid scorn from the liberals, that they do not embrace neo-conservatism and will reflect the needs of the people.