Justin Trudeau will again be Canada’s Prime Minister in another minority government.
With the mail-in ballots still to be fully counted, the Liberals are projected to form the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Conservative Party of Canada, led by Erin O’Toole will be the official opposition to the Liberal Party.
The bottom line is that the final seat tally may not look very different from the composition of the House of Commons when it was dissolved six weeks ago.
Trudeau called a quick election hoping to form a majority government with at least 170 seats. As of early morning Tuesday September 21, the unofficial result showed the Liberals winning 158 seats – a minority government.
Minority governments typically last less than two years. Given the “status quo” type results of last night’s election, it is highly unlikely there will be an earlier election, especially given that this election cost taxpayers over $600 million.
As a minority government, what this means is that for the Liberals to follow through with their political agenda, they will have to work with other parties, likely the NDP, in order to get budgets and other key legislation passed.
In his victory speech, Trudeau said the result suggests Canadians are “sending us back to work with a clear mandate to get Canada through this pandemic and to brighter days ahead.”
Here are some key goals set out in the Liberal campaign policy platform titled “Forward. For Everyone”:
1) Finishing the Fight Against COVID-19
- Mandatory vaccines on planes, trains, and in the federal public service.
- Support proof-of-vaccination credentials.
- Safer indoor spaces, like schools and businesses, with better ventilation.
- Free vaccine boosters, for everyone.
2) A Home. For Everyone.
- Unlock home ownership for the middle class.
- 4 million new homes.
3) A More Resilient Economy
- Bring all businesses along to recovery and support them to hire the help they need.
- A better Employment Insurance system to support gig workers, self-employed people, and give workers more financial security.
- Address underrepresented groups in the workforce to build a more vibrant and diverse workforce.
- Creating opportunities for everyone.
- $10 a day child care to make life affordable for families.
4) A Cleaner, Greener Future
- Create green jobs in communities across Canada and across sectors.
- Boost clean and renewable power from coast to coast to coast.
Click the link below to read the full Liberal policy platform, Forward. For Everyone.
https://liberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2021/09/Platform-Forward-For-Everyone.pdf