Conservative Victory in Canada May Bring Warmer Ties with US -- GOPUSA

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Conservative Victory in Canada May Bring Warmer Ties with US
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
January 24, 2006

(CNSNews.com) -- Twelve years of Liberal rule in Canada ended early Tuesday, as opposition leader Stephen Harper led his Conservative Party to victory and defeated Prime Minister Paul Martin announced he would step down as Liberal leader.

The Conservatives were set to lead a minority government, increasing their share of the popular vote by nearly seven percent from the 2004 election to take more than 36 percent, according to provisional results from Elections Canada, an independent body set up by parliament.

The Liberals stood at 30 percent, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) were at 17.5 percent and the leftist regional Bloc Quebecois at 10.5.

In the breakdown of seats in the 308-seat House of Commons, the Conservatives had won 124 seats while the Liberals had 103, the Bloc Quebecois 51 and the NDP 29, Elections Canada said.

At the close of the last parliament, the Liberals led with 133 seats, followed by the Conservatives (98), Bloc (53) and NDP (18).

As head of a minority government, Harper will need to win support from at least one opposition party to get any legislation through. Minority governments in Canada last on average only 18 months, as was the case with the one led by Martin.

Dogged by a damaging Liberal kickback scandal that predated his tenure, Martin shifted his campaign from a focus on lowering taxes and banning handguns, to attacking Harper.

The 76-year-old prime minister sought to link his 46-year-old opponent to President Bush, with one Martin campaign ad declaring: "A Harper victory will put a smile on George W. Bush's face."

Martin accused Harper of pursuing a radical right-wing agenda, threatening legal abortion and planning to overturn the recent legislation permitting same-sex "marriage" across Canada.

Although Harper has ruled out revisiting the issue of abortion, he has promised a final parliamentary vote on same-sex "marriage."

The Conservative leader, whose habit of ending his speeches with "God bless Canada" irked his liberal opponents, is expected -- within the constraints dictated by minority government status -- to shift Canada closer to the Bush administration after five years marked by tense exchanges between the neighbors.

He has indicated that a government he leads will boost defense spending and may join the U.S. ballistic missile defense program -- a position Martin rejected in March 2004.

Harper also leans towards the U.S. position on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and was critical of the decision by the Liberals -- under Martin's predecessor Jean Chretien -- not to participate in the 2003 U.S.-led war against Iraq.

But a long-simmering trade dispute over softwood lumber remains a sore point in bilateral relations, and Harper said during the campaign that he would adopt a firm stance on the issue.