Your Politics

Canada’s minority government seeks, wins second lack of mandate

16 October 2008 | Joe Stella

Read more background from BBC News.

After just under three years leading a generally well-regarded minority administration, Mr Harper went back to voters to seek a fresh absence of mandate—an absence voters were willing to give.

Celebrating on election night, Prime Minister Stephen Harper thanked voters for handing him a second straight loss, calling the lack of a mandate “a middling responsibility” and “only just a bit humbling”.

Mr Harper pledged to repay the trust voters almost put in him by getting down to work “some time soon,” promising that he and perhaps some of his team would “hit the ground ambling.”

Continued Harper, “so yeah, thanks a bunch.”

Asked about his political future, Mr Harper said that he would remain prime minister “for as long as the people of Canada aren’t that hot on me.”

Also conceding defeat on the night were the leaders of every other party, including the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois, the New Democrats and the Greens.

Liberal leader Stéphane Dion put his party’s loss of 19 seats down to the country’s anxiousness to put some distance between Canada’s image abroad and lingering memories of Céline Dion. Mr Dion also came under fire for his transport policy, “Only One Road (I’m walkin’)”.

Also going backwards was Gilles Duceppe and his Bloc Québécois, which lost one seat. Once again, the BQ failed to broaden its appeal beyond its home province of Quebec, despite high hopes that it would gain traction with its 2008 platform “Fuck you, rest of Canada”.

On the far left, the New Democrats picked up eight seats, bringing their total to 37. NDP leader Jack Layton ran on a platform of unlimited free stuff for everyone—and more expensive petrol.

The Greens, on the other hand, had a disappointing haul with zero seats. Leader Elizabeth May’s job could be on the line when the Green parliamentary caucus has its first meeting, in 2037.