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Canadian federal election, 2006 308 seats in the 39th Canadian Parliament
January 23, 2006
		Government	Opposition
Leader		Stephen Harper	Paul Martin
Party		Conservative	Liberal
Leader since		2004	2003
Leader's seat		Calgary Southwest	LaSalle—Émard
Last election		99	135
Seats won		124	103
Seat change		+25	-32
Popular vote		5,374,071	4,479,415
Percentage		36. 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 The 38th Canadian Parliament was in session from October 4 2004 until November 29 2005. The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3 2006 until September 7 2008 Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC Paul Edgar Philippe Martin. PC, MP (also known as Paul Martin Jr The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political Calgary Southwest is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988 LaSalle—Émard is a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that has been represented in the Canadian House 27%	30. 23%
Swing		+6. 64%	-6. 50%
		Third Party	Fourth Party
Leader		Gilles Duceppe	Jack Layton
Party		Bloc Québécois	New Democrat
Leader's seat		Laurier— Sainte-Marie	Toronto—Danforth
Last election		54	19
Seats won		51	29
Seat change		-3	+10
Popular vote		1,553,201	2,589,597
Percentage		10. Gilles Duceppe, MP (born July 22, 1947) is a Quebec nationalist and Social democratic politician in Canada. John Gilbert "Jack" Layton PC MP (born July 18, 1950) is a social democratic Canadian Politician The Bloc Québécois ( BQ) is a federal political party in Canada that defines itself as devoted to both the protection of Quebec's interests on a federal Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots Laurier—Sainte-Marie is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since Toronto—Danforth (formerly Broadview—Greenwood) is a federal and provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada 48%	17. 48%
Swing		-1. 90%	+1. 79%
Incumbent PM Paul Martin Liberal PM-Elect Stephen Harper Conservative

Rendition of party representation in the 39th Canadian parliament decided by this election. Paul Edgar Philippe Martin. PC, MP (also known as Paul Martin Jr The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3 2006 until September 7 2008      Conservatives (124)      Liberals (103)      Bloc Québécois (51)      New Democrats (29)      Independent (1)

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 of the 39th Parliament of Canada. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3 2006 until September 7 2008 Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Conservative Party of Canada won a plurality of seats: 40. The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative An electoral district (also known as a Constituency or a riding in the Canadian English political Jargon) is a geographically-based 3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36. 3% of votes: up from 29. 6% in the 2004 election. The election resulted in a minority government led by the Conservative Party with Stephen Harper becoming the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada. During the history of Canadian politics there have been eleven minority governments on the federal level in ten separate minority Parliaments (in one case there were two WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus By proportion of seats, this is Canada's smallest minority government since Confederation. Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the

Cause of the election

This general election elected members for the House of Commons, indirectly determining the prime minister and cabinet, as the government will be formed by the political party or coalition of parties that the governor general determines is best able to command the confidence of the House (usually the one with the most elected members). See also Canadian electoral system, Timeline of Canadian elections The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada has two chambers. The Cabinet of Canada (Cabinet du Canada plays an important role in the Government of Canada, in accordance with the Westminster System. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral A coalition is an alliance among individuals during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own Self-interest. The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative This unusual winter election was caused by a motion of no confidence passed by the House of Commons on November 28, 2005. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The following morning, Prime Minister Paul Martin met Governor General Michaëlle Jean, who agreed to dissolve the minority parliament, issuing a proclamation of the dissolution (Canada Gazette: Proclamation Dissolving Parliament). Michaëlle Jean, CC CMM COM CD ʒɑ̃ (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, In Parliamentary systems a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a Legislature at the call of an Election. In Parliamentary systems a hung parliament is one in which no one Political party has an outright majority and means it is most commonly equally balanced The Governor General then issued a proclamation issuing Writs of election (Canada Gazette: Proclamation Issuing Election Writs), followed by a final proclamation summoning Parliament to meet (Canada Gazette: Proclamation Summoning Parliament to Meet on February 20, 2006), though this will be superseded by further proclamations as the date for the assembling of Parliament is changed. The campaign was almost eight weeks in length, the longest in two decades, in order to allow for downtime over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Recent political events, most notably testimony to the Gomery Commission investigating the sponsorship scandal, significantly weakened the Liberals (who, under Martin, had formed the first Liberal minority government since the Trudeau era) by allegations of criminal corruption in the party. The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, was a federal Canadian Royal Commission The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a Scandal that came as a result of a Canadian A minority government or a minority cabinet is a Cabinet of a Parliamentary system formed when the governing Political party or The first Gomery report, released November 1, 2005, had found a "culture of entitlement" to exist within the Government. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although the next election was not legally required until 2009, the opposition had enough votes to force the dissolution of Parliament earlier. The 38th Canadian Parliament was in session from October 4 2004 until November 29 2005. While Prime Minister Martin had committed in April 2005 to dissolve Parliament within a month of the tabling of the second Gomery Report (which was released on schedule on February 1, 2006), all three opposition parties—the Conservatives, Bloc Québécois, and New Democratic Party (NDP) — and three of the four independents decided that the issue at hand was how to correct the Liberal corruption, and the motion of non-confidence passed 171-133. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government particularly in a Westminster -based Parliamentary system The Bloc Québécois ( BQ) is a federal political party in Canada that defines itself as devoted to both the protection of Quebec's interests on a federal Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots

Results

Main article: Results of the Canadian federal election, 2006

Harper was reelected in Calgary Southwest, which he has held since 2002, ensuring that he has a seat in the new parliament. The 39th Canadian federal election was held on January 23 2006 Calgary Southwest is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988 The election was held on January 23, 2006. Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The first polls closed at 07:00 p. m. ET (0000 UTC); Elections Canada started to publish preliminary results on its website at 10:00 p. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America Elections Canada is an independent non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. m. ET as the last polls closed. The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America Shortly after midnight (ET) that night, incumbent Prime Minister Paul Martin conceded defeat, and announced that he will resign as leader of the Liberal Party. Paul Edgar Philippe Martin. PC, MP (also known as Paul Martin Jr The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political He will continue to sit as a Member of Parliament representing LaSalle—Émard, the Montreal-area riding he has held since 1988. The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3 2006 until September 7 2008 LaSalle—Émard is a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that has been represented in the Canadian House Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament

At 9:30 a. m. on January 24, Martin informed Governor General Michaëlle Jean that he would not form a government and intended to resign as Prime Minister. The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative Michaëlle Jean, CC CMM COM CD ʒɑ̃ (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, It was announced a month later that there will be a Liberal leadership convention later in the year, during which Stéphane Dion won the leadership of the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention of 2006 was prompted by Paul Martin 's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada into another Later that day, at 6:45 p. m. , Jean invited Harper to form a government. Martin formally resigned and Harper was formally appointed and sworn in as Prime Minister on February 6. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio ^[1]

Overall results

The results show a Conservative minority government with 124 seats in parliament with a Liberal opposition and a strengthened NDP. In his speech following the loss, Martin stated he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada in another election. Preliminary results indicated that 64. 9% of registered voters cast a ballot, a notable increase over 2004's 60. 9%. ^[2]

The NDP won new seats in British Columbia and Ontario as their overall popular vote increased 2% from 2004. The Bloc managed to win almost as many seats as in 2004 despite losing a significant percentage of the vote. Most of the Conservatives' gains were in Ontario and Quebec as they took a net loss in the west. The popular vote of the Conservatives and Liberals were almost the mirror image of 2004, though the Conservatives were not able to translate this into as many seats as the Liberals did in 2004.

A judicial recount was automatically scheduled in the Parry Sound—Muskoka riding, where early results showed Conservative Tony Clement only 21 votes ahead of Liberal Andy Mitchell, because the difference of votes cast between the two leading candidates was less than 0. For the provincial electoral district see Parry Sound—Muskoka (provincial electoral district Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral Anthony Peter "Tony" Clement, PC, MP (born January 27, 1961 in Manchester, England) is a Canadian Andrew "Andy" Mitchell PC (born April 21, 1953) is a Canadian Politician, formerly the Member of Parliament 1%. Clement was confirmed as the winner by 28 votes. ^[3]

Conservative candidate Jeremy Harrison, narrowly defeated by Liberal Gary Merasty in the Saskatchewan riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River by 72 votes, alleged electoral fraud but decided not to pursue the matter. Jeremy Harrison (born January 29, 1978) is a Canadian politician currently representing the riding of Meadow Lake in the Gary Merasty, BEd, MEd, (born September 22, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Pelican Narrows, Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that A judicial recount was ordered in the riding,^[4] which certified Gary Merasty the winner by a reduced margin of 68 votes. Gary Merasty, BEd, MEd, (born September 22, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Pelican Narrows, ^[5]

"% change" refers to change from previous election

* indicates the party did not contest the previous election.

See below next table for other notes.

Results by province

Notes

^  David Emerson, elected on January 23 as a Liberal in the British Columbia riding of Vancouver Kingsway, changed parties on February 6 to join the Conservatives before the new Parliament had taken office. David Lee Emerson, PC, MP (born September 17 1945, in Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Politician, who was For the similarly-named provincial electoral district that incorporates some of the same area see Vancouver-Kingsway (provincial electoral district In Politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines especially where this is considered unusual or controversial Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio He is reflected here as a Liberal.

^ André Arthur was elected as an independent candidate in the Quebec riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier. André Arthur MP (born December 21, 1943 in Quebec City) is a Canadian Radio host and Politician. Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier (formerly known as Portneuf) is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in

10 closest ridings

1. Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON: Tony Clement (Cons) def. For the provincial electoral district see Parry Sound—Muskoka (provincial electoral district Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral Anthony Peter "Tony" Clement, PC, MP (born January 27, 1961 in Manchester, England) is a Canadian Andy Mitchell (Lib) by 28 votes
2. Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK: Gary Merasty (Lib) def. Andy Mitchell may refer to Andy Mitchell (Canadian politician, Canadian politician Andy Mitchell (baseball player, American professional Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River (formerly known as Churchill River) is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that Gary Merasty, BEd, MEd, (born September 22, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in Pelican Narrows, Jeremy Harrison (Cons) by 73 votes
3. Winnipeg South, MB: Rod Bruinooge (Cons) def. Jeremy Harrison (born January 29, 1978) is a Canadian politician currently representing the riding of Meadow Lake in the Winnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons Rod E Bruinooge (born May 6, 1973) is a Canadian politician businessman and filmmaker Reg Alcock (Lib) by 111 votes
4. Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON: Pierre Lemieux (Cons) def. Reginald B Alcock, PC (born April 16, 1948) is a Canadian politician For the provincial district see Glengarry—Prescott—Russell (provincial electoral district Glengarry—Prescott—Russell (formerly Pierre Lemieux (born in April 9, 1963 in Embrun Ontario) is a Politician in Ontario, Canada. René Berthiaume (Lib) by 203 votes
5. Louis-Hébert, QC: Luc Harvey (Cons) def. René Berthiaume is a businessman and Liberal politician in Ontario, Canada. Louis-Hébert and Louis-Hebert redirect here for the Canadian regional constituency see Louis-Hébert (provincial electoral district Luc Harvey (born April 4, 1964 in Chicoutimi Quebec) is a Canadian politician and the current Member of Parliament for the riding Roger Clavet (BQ) by 231 votes
6. St. Catharines, ON: Rick Dykstra (Cons) def. Roger Clavet (born February 8, 1953 in Quebec City Quebec) is a Québécois politician St Catharines is a federal and provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons Richard "Rick" Dykstra (born April 10 1966 in Grimsby Ontario) is a Canadian politician Walt Lastewka (Lib) by 244 votes
7. Tobique—Mactaquac, NB: Mike Allen (Cons) def. Walter Thomas "Walt" Lastewka, PC (born October 11, 1940) is a Canadian Politician. Tobique—Mactaquac is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons Michael Allen, better known as Mike Allen, (born November 20, 1960 in Fredericton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian Andy Savoy (Lib) by 254 votes
8. Thunder Bay—Superior North, ON: Joe Comuzzi (Lib) def. Andy Savoy, BSc, MBA (born July 12, 1963) is a Canadian Politician and Engineer. For the current provincial electoral district see Thunder Bay—Superior North (provincial electoral district Thunder Bay—Superior North Joseph Robert "Joe" Comuzzi, PC, MP (born April 5 1933) is a Canadian Politician. Bruce Hyer (NDP) by 408 votes
9. West Nova, NS: Robert Thibault (Lib) def. West Nova (Nova-Ouest is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons Robert G Thibault, PC, MP (born September 29, 1959 in Digby Nova Scotia) is a Canadian politician Greg Kerr (Cons) by 511 votes
10. Brant, ON: Lloyd St. Amand (Lib) def. For the provincial electoral district see Brant (provincial electoral district Brant is a federal electoral district in Ontario Lloyd St Amand (born November 10, 1952 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a Canadian Politician and the current Member of Parliament Phil McColeman (Cons) by 582 votes

Results by electoral district

Parties

Election signs for the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP in the snow in Ottawa South, characterizing Canada's mid-winter election

Most observers believed only the Liberals and the Conservatives were capable of forming a government in this election, although Canadian political history is not without examples of wholly unexpected outcomes, such as Ontario's provincial election in 1990. Abbreviations Guide (Ind - Independent Minor Parties (Animal All __NOEDITSECTION__ Newfoundland and Labrador See also Canadian federal election results in Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island See __NOEDITSECTION__ Newfoundland and Labrador See also Canadian federal election results in Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island See __NOEDITSECTION__ Newfoundland and Labrador See also Canadian federal election results in Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island See __NOEDITSECTION__ Newfoundland and Labrador See also Canadian federal election results in Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island See __NOEDITSECTION__ Newfoundland and Labrador See also Canadian federal election results in Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island See __NOEDITSECTION__ Ontario Ottawa See also Canadian federal election results in Ottawa Eastern Ontario See also Canadian federal __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian __NOEDITSECTION__ Manitoba Rural Manitoba See also Canadian federal election results in Rural Manitoba Winnipeg See also Canadian For the provincial district please see Ottawa South (provincial electoral district This page is about the federal electoral district for the neighbourhood The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario However, with the exception of the Unionist government of 1917 (which combined members of both the Conservatives and the Liberals), at the Federal stage, only Liberals or Conservatives have formed government. With the end of the campaign at hand, pollsters and pundits placed the Conservatives ahead of the Liberals.

Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals hoped to recapture their majority, and this appeared likely at one point during the campaign; but it would have required holding back Bloc pressure in Quebec plus picking up some new seats there while also gaining seats in English Canada, most likely in rural Ontario and southwestern British Columbia. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Towards the end of the campaign, even high-profile Liberals were beginning to concede defeat, and the best the Liberals could have achieved was a razor-thin minority.

Stephen Harper's Conservatives succeeded in bringing their new party into power in Canada. While continuing weaknesses in Quebec and urban areas rightfully prompted most observers to consider a Conservative majority government to be mathematically difficult to achieve, early on, Harper's stated goal was to achieve one nonetheless. In the Westminster System, there is a majority government when the governing party enjoys an Absolute majority of seats in the Legislature or Though the Conservatives were ahead of the Liberals in Quebec, they remained far behind the Bloc Québécois, and additional gains in rural and suburban Ontario would have been be necessary to meet Stephen Harper's goal. The polls had remained pretty well static over the course of December, with the real shift coming in the first few days of the New Year. That is when the Conservatives took the lead and kept it for the rest of the campaign.

Harper started off the first month of the campaign with a policy-per-day strategy, which included a GST reduction and a child-care allowance. The Liberals opted to hold any major announcements until after the Christmas holidays; as a result, Harper dominated media coverage for the first weeks of the campaign and was able to define his platform and insulate it from expected Liberal attacks. On December 27, 2005, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced it was investigating allegations that Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale's office had engaged in insider trading before making an important announcement on the taxation of income trusts. Events 537 - The Hagia Sophia is completed 1512 - The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Minister of Finance (Ministre des Finances is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's Ralph Edward Goodale, PC, MP (born October 5, 1949, in Regina Saskatchewan) was Canada 's Minister of Finance Insider trading is the trading of a Corporation 's Stock or other securities (e An income trust is an Investment trust that holds Income -producing Assets The term also designates a legal entity, Capital structure The RCMP indicated that they had no evidence of wrongdoing or criminal activity from any party associated with the investigation, including Goodale. However, the story dominated news coverage for the following week and prevented the Liberals from making their key policy announcements, allowing the Conservatives to refocus their previous attacks about corruption within the Liberal party. The Conservatives soon found themselves leading in the polls. By early January, they made a major breakthrough in Quebec, pushing the Liberals to second place.

As their lead solidified, media coverage of the Conservatives was much more positive, while Liberals found themselves increasingly criticized for running a poor campaign and making numerous gaffes. The current tally of the newspaper endorsements for the 2006 Canadian federal election has shown a strong wave of new endorsements for the Conservative Party of Canada, led by ^[6]

The NDP has claimed that last minute tactical voting cost them several seats last time, as left-of-centre voters moved to the Liberals so that they could prevent a Harper-led government. In Voting systems tactical voting (or strategic voting or sophisticated voting) occurs when a voter supports a candidate other than his or her Jack Layton avoided stating his party's goal was to win the election outright, instead calling for enough New Democrats to be elected to hold the balance of power in a Liberal or Conservative minority government. In Parliamentary politics the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor Political party or other grouping whose guaranteed Political commentators have long argued that the NDP's main medium-term goal is to serve as junior partners to the Liberals in Canada's first-ever true coalition government. A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate NDP leader Jack Layton was concerned last time over people voting Liberal so that they could avoid a Conservative government. Over the course of the last week of the campaign, Jack Layton called on Liberal voters disgusted with the corruption to "lend" their votes to the NDP to elect more NDP members to the House and hold the Conservatives to a minority.

The Bloc Québécois had a very successful result in the 2004 election, with the Liberals reduced to the core areas of federalist support in portions of Montreal and the Outaouais. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Oddly enough, this meant that there were comparatively few winnable Bloc seats left—perhaps eight or so—for the party to target. With provincial allies the Parti Québécois widely tipped to regain power in 2007, a large sovereigntist contingent in the House could play a major role in reopening the matter of Quebec independence. The Parti Québécois ' is a Sovereignist Political party that advocates national sovereignty for the Canadian province of Quebec and The Quebec sovereignty movement ( Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement aimed at either attaining independent statehood ( Sovereignty) or some The National Question (in French: la Question nationale) is an expression referring to the discussion about the future status of Quebec within Canada The Bloc Québécois only runs candidates in the province of Quebec. However, Gilles Duceppe's dream of winning 50%+ of the popular vote was dashed when the polls broke after the New Year, and the Conservatives became a real threat to that vision in Quebec.

In addition to the four sitting parties, the Green Party of Canada ran candidates in all 308 federal ridings for the second consecutive election. The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal Political party founded in 1983 with around 9000 registered members as of November 2007. Though the Greens had been an official party since the 1984 election, this campaign was the first in which they had stable financial support with which to campaign. The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament After a breakthrough in the 2004 election, they exceeded the minimum 2% of the popular vote to receive federal funding. Supporters and sympathisers criticize that the party were not invited to the nationally televised debates even with its official status. Though no Green candidate has yet been elected in Canada, the party has occasionally polled as high as 19% in British Columbia and 11% nationwide. Critics of the Green Party contend that, by drawing away left-of-centre votes, the Green Party actually assists the Conservative Party in some ridings. The Greens deny this [4].

Other parties are listed in the table of results above.

Events during the 38th Parliament

Main article: Timeline of the Canadian federal election, 2006

An early election seemed likely because the 2004 federal election, held on June 28, 2004, resulted in the election of a Liberal minority government. This article provides the timeline of the 2006 Canadian federal election, which was called on November 29, 2005 when the Governor General dissolved parliament 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 Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political A minority government or a minority cabinet is a Cabinet of a Parliamentary system formed when the governing Political party or In the past, minority governments have had an average lifespan of a year and a half. Some people considered the 38th parliament to be particularly unstable. It involved four parties, and only very implausible ideological combinations (e. g. , Liberals + Conservatives; Liberals + BQ; Conservatives + BQ + NDP) could actually command a majority of the seats, a necessity if a government is to retain power. From its earliest moments, there was some threat of the government falling as even the Speech from the Throne almost resulted in a non-confidence vote.

Brinkmanship in the spring of 2005

The Liberal government came close to falling when testimony from the Gomery Commission caused public opinion to move sharply against the government. Brinkmanship is the practice of pushing a dangerous situation to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, was a federal Canadian Royal Commission The Bloc Québécois were eager from the beginning to have an early election. The Conservatives announced they had also lost confidence in the government's moral authority. Thus, during much of spring 2005, there was a widespread belief that the Liberals would lose a confidence vote, prompting an election taking place in the spring or summer of 2005.

In a televised speech on April 21, Martin promised to request a dissolution of Parliament and begin an election campaign within 30 days of the Gomery Commission’s final report. In Parliamentary systems a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a Legislature at the call of an Election. The release date of that report would later solidify as February 1, 2006; Martin then clarified that he intended to schedule the election call so as to have the polling day in April 2006. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Later that week, the NDP, who had initially opposed the budget, opted to endorse Martin's proposal for a later election. The Liberals agreed to take corporate tax cuts out of the budget on April 26 in exchange for NDP support on votes of confidence, but even with NDP support the Liberals still fell three votes short of a majority. However, a surprise defection of former Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach to the Liberal party on May 17 changed the balance of power in the House. Belinda Caroline Stronach, DO NOT CHANGE PC TO LIBERAL - READ THIS FOR AN EXPLANATION Please note the PC after her name does NOT refer Independents Chuck Cadman and Carolyn Parrish provided the last two votes needed for the Liberals to win the budget vote. Charles "Chuck" Cadman ( February 21, 1948 &ndash July 9, 2005) was a Canadian politician and Member of Carolyn Parrish BA, BEd (born October 3, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian Politician

The deal turned out to be rather unnecessary, as the Conservatives opted to ensure the government's survival on the motion of confidence surrounding the original budget, expressing support to the tax cuts and defence spending therein. A Motion of Confidence is a motion of support proposed by a government in a Parliament or other assembly of elected representatives to give members of parliament (or When Parliament voted on second reading and referral of the budget and the amendment on May 19, the previous events kept the government alive. The original budget bill, C-43, passed easily, as expected, but the amendment bill, C-48, resulted in an equality of votes, and the Speaker of the House broke the tie to continue the parliament. In Canada the Speaker of the House of Commons ( French: Président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the The government never got as close to falling after that date. Third reading of Bill C-48 was held late at night on an unexpected day, and several Conservatives being absent, the motion passed easily, guaranteeing there would be no election in the near future.

Aftermath of the first Gomery report

On November 1, John Gomery released his interim report, and the scandal returned to prominence. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Justice John H Gomery, BCL, BA, QC (born August 9, 1932 in Montreal Quebec, Canada Liberal support again fell, with some polls registering an immediate ten percent drop. The Conservatives and Bloc thus resumed their push for an election before Martin's April date. The NDP stated that their support was contingent on the Liberals agreeing to move against the private provision of healthcare. The Liberals and NDP failed to come to an agreement, however, and the NDP joined the two other opposition parties in demanding an election.

However, the Liberals had intentionally scheduled the mandatory "opposition days" (where a specified opposition party controls the agenda) on November 15 (Conservative), November 17 (Bloc Québécois) and November 24 (NDP). Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal These days meant that any election would come over the Christmas season, an unpopular idea. Following negotiations between the opposition parties, they instead issued an ultimatum to the Prime Minister to call an election immediately after the Christmas holidays or face an immediate non-confidence vote which would prompt a holiday-spanning campaign.

To that end, the NDP introduced a parliamentary motion demanding that the government drop the writ in January 2006 for a February 13 election date; however, only the prime minister has the authority to advise the Governor General on an election date, the government was therefore not bound by the NDP's motion. Dropping the writ is the informal term for a procedure in some Parliamentary government systems, where the Head of government, that is the prime Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Martin had indicated that he remained committed to his April 2006 date, and would disregard the motion, which the opposition parties managed to pass, as expected, on November 21 by a vote of 167-129. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem.

The three opposition leaders had agreed to delay the tabling of the no-confidence motion until the 24th, to ensure that a conference between the government and aboriginal leaders scheduled on the 24th would not be disrupted by the campaign. Parliamentary procedure dictated that the vote be deferred until the 28th. Even if the opposition hadn't put forward the non-confidence motion, the government was still expected to fall—there was to have been a vote on supplementary budget estimates on December 8, and if it had been defeated, loss of supply would have toppled the Liberals. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Loss of supply occurs where a government in a Parliamentary democracy using the Westminster System or a system derived from it is denied a supply of treasury or exchequer

Conservative leader Stephen Harper, the leader of the Opposition, introduced a motion of no confidence on November 24, which NDP leader Jack Layton seconded. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal John Gilbert "Jack" Layton PC MP (born July 18, 1950) is a social democratic Canadian Politician The motion was voted upon and passed in the evening of November 28, with all present MPs from the NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Conservatives and 3 Independents (Bev Desjarlais, David Kilgour and Pat O'Brien), voting with a combined strength of 171 votes for the motion and 132 Liberals and one Independent (Carolyn Parrish) voting against. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. Bev Desjarlais (born August 19, 1955) is a Canadian politician The Honourable David Kilgour, PC, BA, JD, DD (born February 18, 1941 in Winnipeg Manitoba) is a former Patrick Wayne "Pat" O'Brien MEd, BA (born January 13, 1948) is a former member of the Canadian House of Commons. Carolyn Parrish BA, BEd (born October 3, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian Politician One Bloc Québécois MP was absent from the vote. It is the fifth time a Canadian government has lost the confidence of Parliament, but the first time this has happened on a straight motion of no confidence. The four previous instances have been due to loss of supply or votes of censure. Not to be confused with Censor, Censer or Sensor. Censure (ˈsɛnʃəɹ is a process by which a formal Reprimand

Martin visited Governor General Michaëlle Jean the following morning, where he formally advised her to dissolve Parliament and schedule an election for January 23. The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative Michaëlle Jean, CC CMM COM CD ʒɑ̃ (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor In accordance with Canadian constitutional practice, she consented (such a request has only been turned down once in Canadian history), officially beginning an election campaign that had been simmering for months. The King-Byng Affair was a Canadian Constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926 when the Governor General of Canada, Lord Byng of Vimy, refused

Early on in the campaign, polls showed the Liberals with a solid 5-10 point lead over the Conservatives, and poised to form a strong minority government at worst. Around Christmas, after reports of an RCMP investigation into allegations of insider trading within the Finance department, this situation changed dramatically, leading to the opposition parties to consistently attack the Liberals on corruption. Almost at the same time, the Boxing Day shooting, an unusually violent gun fight between rival gangs on December 26 in downtown Toronto (resulting in the death of 15-year-old Jane Creba, an innocent bystander), may have swayed some Ontario voters to support the more hardline CPC policies on crime. The Boxing Day shooting took place December 26, 2005 on Toronto 's Yonge Street when a shootout between two youth gangs resulted in Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario The Conservatives enjoyed a fairly significant lead in polls leading up to the election, but the gap narrowed in the last few days.

Issues

Further information: Issues in the Canadian federal election, 2006

Several issues—some long-standing (notably fiscal imbalance, the gun registry, abortion, and Quebec sovereigntism), others recently brought forth by media coverage or court decisions (the sponsorship scandal, same-sex marriages, income trusts, or Canada-United States relations)—have taken the fore in debate among the parties and also influenced aspects of the parties’ electoral platforms. These are some of issues that played a major role in the 2006 federal election in Canada. Fiscal imbalance (in French déséquilibre fiscal) is the term used in Canada to describe a monetary imbalance between the Canadian federal government The Canadian gun registry is a government-run registry of all legally-owned Guns in Canada. Abortion in Canada is not limited by the law While some non-legal obstacles exist Canada is one of only a few nations with no legal restrictions on Abortion The Quebec sovereignty movement ( Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement aimed at either attaining independent statehood ( Sovereignty) or some The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a Scandal that came as a result of a Canadian On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the approval of the Civil Marriage Act. An income trust is an Investment trust that holds Income -producing Assets The term also designates a legal entity, Capital structure

Opinion polls

Compiled polling/vote chart showing levels of party support over the course of the election campaign. Note the shift from the Liberals to the Conservatives, during late December and early January. The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative

Main article: Opinion polling in the Canadian federal election, 2006

Prior to and during the election campaign, opinion polling showed variable support for the governing Liberals and opposition Conservatives. Opinion polling in the Canadian federal election of 2006 (held on 23 January 2006) showed a long period of variable support for the governing Liberal Party of An opinion poll is a survey of Public opinion from a particular sample. In November 2005, the first report by Justice John Gomery was released to the public; subsequently, poll numbers for the Liberals again dropped. The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, was a federal Canadian Royal Commission Just days later, polling showed the Liberals were already bouncing back; upon the election call, the Liberals held a small lead over the Conservatives and maintained this for much of December. Renewed accusations of corruption and impropriety at the end of 2005 – amid Royal Canadian Mounted Police criminal probes of possible government leaks regarding income trust tax changes and advertising sponsorships – led to an upswing of Conservative support again and gave them a lead over the Liberals, portending a change in government. Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain An income trust is an Investment trust that holds Income -producing Assets The term also designates a legal entity, Capital structure The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a Scandal that came as a result of a Canadian Ultimately this scandal was linked to a blackberry exchange to a banking official by Liberal candidate Scott Brison. Scott A Brison, PC, MP (born 10 May 1967, Windsor Nova Scotia) is a Canadian Politician. Polling figures for the NDP increased slightly, while Bloc figures experienced a slight dip; figures for the Green Party did not change appreciably throughout the campaign.

Candidates

The election involved the same 308 electoral districts as in 2004, except in New Brunswick, where the boundary between Acadie—Bathurst and Miramichi was ruled to be illegal. An electoral district (also known as a Constituency or a riding in the Canadian English political Jargon) is a geographically-based New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Acadie—Bathurst (formerly Gloucester) is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the Northumberland (later known as Northumberland-Miramichi) was a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian Many of the candidates were also the same: fewer incumbents chose to leave than if they had served a full term, and the parties have generally blocked challenges to sitting MPs for the duration of the minority government, although there had been some exceptions.

See also: star candidate, Conservative Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election, Liberal Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election, NDP candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election, Bloc Québécois candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election, and Green Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election

Gender breakdown of candidates

An on-going issue in Canadian politics is the imbalance between the genders in selection by political parties of candidates. In Canada, a star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party The Conservative Party of Canada ran a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election. The Liberal Party of Canada ran a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2006 federal election, and won 103 seats to form the Official Opposition The New Democratic Party fielded a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election. The Green Party of Canada ran a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election. Although in the past some parties, particularly the New Democrats, have focused on the necessity of having equal gender representation in Parliament, no major party has ever nominated as many or more women than men in a given election. In 2006, the New Democrats had the highest percentage of female candidates (35. 1%) of any party aside from the Animal Alliance, which only had one candidate, its leader, Liz White. Elizabeth "Liz" White is a Canadian politician and animal rights activist residing in Toronto, Ontario. The proportion of female New Democrats elected was greater than the proportion nominated, indicating female New Democrats were nominated in winnable ridings. 12. 3% of Conservative candidates and 25. 6% of Liberal candidates were female.

See also: Women in the 39th Canadian Parliament and Female candidates in Canadian elections

Campaign slogans

The parties' campaign slogans for the 2006 election:

Endorsements

Further information: Endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2006 and Newspaper endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2006

Target ridings

Further information: Target ridings in the Canadian federal election, 2006

Incumbent MPs who did not run for re-election

See also

Articles on parties' candidates in this election:

References

External links

• Election Prediction Project
• LISPOP - Projected Distribution of Seats
• Pollingreport.ca
• UBC Election Stock Market 2006
• democraticSPACE Poll Tracking
• democraticSPACE Predictions
• Hill and Knowlton election predictor
• Fair Vote Canada - About proportional representation
• Which party to vote for ? (saplin.com) - Vote by issue quizz
• TrendLines Riding Projections (2004, 2006 & 2009)
• Predicting the 2006 Canadian Election

Government links

• Elections Canada
  • Elections Canada nominations database
  • Election Night Results
  • Results map, PDF, 4. 6 MB.
• Parliament of Canada
• Prime Minister of Canada

National media coverage

• CBC News - Canada Votes 2006
  • First English Leaders' Debate
    • Transcript and RealVideo stream
  • First French Leaders' Debate
    • Windows Media video stream
  • Second English Leaders' Debate
    • RealVideo stream
• CTV News - Election 2006
• The Globe and Mail - Decision 2006
  • Live election results
• canada.com - Decision Canada

Humour

• A poll asking how much one's vote is worth
• 2006 Election Editorial Cartoon Gallery by Graeme MacKay of The Hamilton Spectator.

Party websites