Conservative Party

In 2004 the party began attacking Prime Minister Paul Martin and his Liberal Party government, criticizing the Liberals for a financial scandal dating to the government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien in the late 1990s. Amid mounting pressure, Martin’s government lost a confidence vote in November 2005, forcing new parliamentary elections. In the January 2006 elections the Conservatives won 124 seats in Parliament compared to 103 for the Liberal Party (out of 308 total seats in the House of Commons). Harper replaced Martin as prime minister, ending 12 years of Liberal governance in Canada.

The rise of the Conservative Party is a significant development in Canadian politics, but it is unclear how much of a legislative mandate the party can claim. During his campaign Harper pledged to lower taxes, implement tougher gun laws, and improve government efficiency and accountability. Harper also spoke out against recently passed legislation that legalized gay marriage in Canada. Lacking a majority in Parliament, however, Harper and the Conservatives may have a difficult time achieving all of their goals while remaining popular enough to stay in power.