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Articles on Minority government

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets commuters at a Montréal Metro station the day after the federal election that saw him win re-election. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Why minority governments have been good — and sometimes bad — for Canada

Canada has elected another Liberal minority government. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of Canadian minority governments over the years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joined on stage by wife Sophie Gregoire, left, and children Xavier and Ella-Grace, right, during his victory speech at Liberal party campaign headquarters in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatric

Canada’s status quo election: Trudeau returned with another minority, faces uncertain future

Justin Trudeau has been elected Canadian prime minister for the third time. But he failed to win the majority he wanted.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau makes a stop in an airplane hangar during the Canadian federal election campaign in Mississauga, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Rhetoric Check: Parliament wasn’t toxic — Justin Trudeau just wants a majority

A former political insider explains that the view inside government is generally the sooner minority rule is put to bed in favour of a majority, the better. That’s why Trudeau really called an election.
Ethiopian soldiers in 2005 on a hilltop outpost overlooking the northern town of Badme, in the Tigray region. Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images

What lies behind the war in Tigray?

The Ethiopian premier is manipulating ethnic rivalries to shift the agenda from democratic reform to authoritarianism.
Canada’s mission in Afghanistan under former prime minister Stephen Harper is an example of how a minority situation for a government can influence foreign policy. Harper is seen here in Kandahar in May 2011, shortly after winning a majority government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

How minority governments can influence foreign policy

Minority parliaments create a political environment that discourages cabinet from bold acts. That means Justin Trudeau’s foreign policy will like be more risk-averse that it was before.
Pierre Trudeau is saluted by an RCMP officer as he carries son Justin to Rideau Hall in 1973, when the elder Trudeau was in a similar political situation as his son is today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Bregg

U.S.-Canada trade under Trudeau minority governments: Then and now

There’s a different Trudeau in office in 2019 than there was in 1972, but Justin Trudeau is also leading a minority government, just as his father did — and the Canada-U.S. relationship is key.
An aerial view of houses in Oshawa, Ont. is shown in November 2017. Canada’s minority government could result in progress on affordable housing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

What a minority government could mean for affordable housing in Canada

There are many winners in a scenario in which Canada’s minority government enacts stronger supports for non-profit housing. The biggest are those who would get secure and affordable homes.
Voters head to cast their ballot in Canada’s federal election in Dartmouth, N.S. The Greens and the NDP need to work together to ensure they do better than just propping up Liberal minorities. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

How progressive voters can truly win in future Canadian elections

The progressive left should not content itself with being a junior partner in Liberal minority governments. In the next election, they should seek to propose a principled, realistic alternative.
Justin Trudeau delivers his victory speech in Montréal. Now that he’s leading a minority government, Trudeau will have a more difficult job. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Justin Trudeau’s job just got a lot more complicated

The urgent issues facing Canada during the election are not less urgent now that the election is over. The prime minister is going to have to reinvent himself and commit to some important compromises.
Just a few days before the June 7 election, the Ontario Premier has publicly admitted her party won’t win. She is urging voters to return enough Liberal candidates to ensure a minority PC or NDP government. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Ryan

With Wynne conceding defeat, this is what could happen after Ontario votes

Ontario voters head to the polls on Thursday. Public opinion surveys and redrawn provincial ridings are making it difficult to predict the race’s outcome.

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