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  • Stephen Harper wins re-election in Canada

Toronto, Oct. 14, 2008
Balraj Tandon

Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister, has led his Conservative Party to victory but Canada's third minority government in four years. Harper's Conservatives defeated a Liberal minority government in the January 2006 election.

At least 155 seats are needed to form a majority in the 308-seat House of Commons.

  • The Liberal Party win 77 seats, down from 95 seats.
  • Bloc Quebecois appeared likely to get 49 seats.
  • The New Democrats 37
  • Iindependent candidates 2.

Stephen Harper had called elections early in the hope of getting his party a majority, but the Conservatives sought to put a good face on the results, pointing to their increased number of seats.

Health Minister Tony Clement told Global Television, "We were expecting a minority government. It looks like it will be a strengthened one. We're going to get right back to work, that's what people expect us to do."

Conservative MP Jason Kenney said, "Every other incumbent government in the Western world is in serious political trouble with the economic situation."

He lost elections in 2004, and a commanding lead in 2006, after the Liberals accused him of having a ``hidden agenda'' to terminate federal programs and implement culturally conservative measures including restrictions on abortion.

Stephen Joseph Harper PC MP was born in 1959. He is the twenty-second and current Prime Minister of Canada, and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Harper became Prime Minister after his party won a minority government in the January 2006 federal election. He is the first Prime Minister from his current political party, and the first since 1993 from any Conservative party, following twelve years of government by the Liberal Party. Harper is the first Canadian prime minister born in the second half of the twentieth century.

 

Stephen Harper wins re-election in Canada

  • Harper has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Calgary Southwest in Alberta since 2002. Earlier, from 1993 to 1997, he was the MP for Calgary West.
  • He was one of the founding members of the Reform Party, but ended his first stint as an MP to join, and shortly thereafter head, the National Citizens Coalition. In 2002, he succeeded Stockwell Day as leader of the Canadian Alliance (the successor to the Reform Party) and returned to Parliament as Leader of the Opposition.
  • In 2003, he reached an agreement with Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay for the merger of their two parties to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He was elected as the party's first non-interim leader in March 2004.