Atlantic Council

Prime Minister Stephen Harper successfully convinced Canada's governor-general to suspend parliament, avoiding a vote of confidence he most likely would have lost.  The Economist:

Only seven weeks ago Stephen Harper, the prime minister, won a second term for his Conservative government, but once again without winning a parliamentary majority.  Now the three disparate opposition parties—the centrist Liberals, the socialist New Democrats (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Québécois—have ganged up in order to oust the Conservatives and replace them with a centre-left coalition.  That left Mr. Harper scrabbling for survival.

On Thursday December 4th he asked Michaëlle Jean, who as governor-general acts as Canada’s head of state, to suspend Parliament until January [26].  After a two-hour meeting, she agreed to do so.  That means that for now Mr. Harper has dodged a confidence vote scheduled for December 8th that the opposition parties, provided they stick together, were bound to win.  The opposition holds 163 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons.

Their alliance is an unlikely one.  Stéphane Dion, the Liberal leader, is an academic from Quebec who came into politics a decade ago expressly to oppose the French-speaking province’s separatists, represented by Gilles Duceppe and his Bloc Québécois.  Jack Layton, the NDP leader, has spent his career savaging previous Liberal governments.

For the last week, Canada's government has been near collapse as the country faces the prospect of its first coalition government since 1926.  The BBC called Harper's request to the governor-general, who officially represents head of state Queen Elizabeth II, "unprecedented."

CNN reported that Harper has dismissed the idea of a power-sharing coalition: "Harper rejected the idea of a 'power-sharing coalition with a separatist party,' referring to the Bloc Québécois, and insisted the country must stand together."  He has been prime minister since February 2006.

Related Posts:

• Canada's Liberals and New Democrats Forge Coalition Government
• Canada's Conservative Government Nears Collapse
• Canada Election Update: Harper Victory Confirmed

Stephen Harper's Conservatives have won Canada's general elections, as earlier predicted.  Canada's election agency reported that the Conservatives won or are expected to win 143 of the 308 electoral districts, according to the Press Association.  This represents an improvement on the 127 seats the party held in the previous parliament but still falls short of the 155 needed for a majority.  As such, Harper will again be forced to lead a coalition government.

Canada's Conservatives are expected to emerge victorious in general elections Tuesday, staying in power as well as winning the country's third election in four years, the Australian reported.  Two of the three national Canadian television channels have predicted the party to win, with polls showing the Conservatives leading in 110 of 308 districts.

Stephen Harper is once again expected to become Prime Minister, after leading a minority government since January 2006.  The exact size of his caucus remains to be seen.

Speaking Tuesday on Canada's plans to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in 2011, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the country was not avoiding any duties by sticking to the timeline.  According to Reuters, he stated, "I don't think it's viable, knowing the history of Afghanistan, what we know about it, to believe that foreigners are going to be able to run Afghanistan or Afghan security on an ongoing basis."

The remarks echo recent comments from the outgoing commander of UK forces in Afghanistan that cast doubt on the chances of a conclusive victory over the Taliban.  Canada heads into a general election on October 14.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call early elections to be held on 14 October, a spokesman tells BBC, in what will be the third national election in just over three years. 

A recent poll shows a surge in popularity for Harper, whose Conservative Party  won the 2006 elections but is 28 seats shy of a majority in parliament.