Harper's minority: history's exception

Ashley Terry
Canwest News Service

According to Harper, the Liberals were stalling important legislation in the House of Commons and Senate. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

In the weeks leading up to Stephen Harper’s trip to Rideau Hall on September 7, the Prime Minister made references to a “dysfunctional” Parliament and a committee system “in chaos.”

Liberal leader Stephane Dion had threatened several times to force an election, but backed off when faced with the prospect of a confidence vote. According to Harper, the Liberals were stalling important legislation in the House of Commons and Senate, and the Prime Minister had had enough.

But despite the apparent gridlock, Harper’s minority government was one of the most productive in Canadian history. It was surely the longest — no other Canadian minority government has rivalled Harper’s uninterrupted 2 ½-year tenure.

His government managed to cut taxes, introduce a new childcare policy, increase defence spending, recognize Quebec as a nation and resolve to keep Canadian troops in Afghanistan until 2011. The Conservatives passed the Accountability Act, made changes to the Election Act and approved a softwood lumber deal with the U.S.

In total, the government introduced 125 bills and passed 65, surviving 40 votes declared matters of confidence. It did all this despite being one of the smallest minorities the country has ever had.

History suggests that Conservative minorities have been significantly less productive than Liberal ones, making Harper’s government an exception. Just how well do past minority governments stack up against Harper’s record?

William Lyon Mackenzie King

In 1921, King’s Liberals were one seat short of a majority, and formed the first minority government in Canadian history, while relying on the support of the Progressives to stay alive. Floor crossings and by-elections meant that the government fluctuated between a majority and minority for its 3 ½ years in power.

The Liberals lost the 1925 election to Arthur Meighen’s Conservatives, but formed the government after attracting more support from the Progressive party.

During King’s minority rule, the Liberals passed new pension and labour legislation, introduced tariff reductions and reorganized the Canadian railroad system. But King also had the support of the Progressives, and his government was a majority about half the time.

John Diefenbaker

Diefenbaker’s Progressive Conservatives were unable to secure a majority in 1957, winning 113 seats to the Liberals’ 103. Diefenbaker’s minority stood for 294 days.

The party called another election in 1958 and dominated, winning 208 seats and easily clinching the majority they sought less than a year before.

Most of Diefenbaker’s significant accomplishments (such as the Bill of Rights and the Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act) came after the Progressive Conservatives had achieved a majority.

Lester B. Pearson

Pearson’s two Liberal minority governments from 1963-1968 can be considered among the most successful since Confederation with a list of reforms to their credit, including:

• medicare
• Canada Pension Plan
• Canada Assistance Plan
• student loans
• increased transfers to provinces

Pearson’s government relied on close cooperation with Tommy Douglas’ newly-formed New Democratic Party, which held 17 seats after the election of 1963 and 21 seats after 1965.

Pierre Trudeau

Trudeau’s Liberals narrowly edged the Progressive Conservatives in 1972, but won a majority less than two years later. The Liberals relied heavily on their alliance with David Lewis’ NDP during their minority time, but the government was relatively productive, introducing 93 bills and passing 68 over two years. Among their accomplishments:

• created Petro Canada
• created the Foreign Investment Review Agency
• passed election expenses act
• increased pension spending

Joe Clark

Clark’s Progressive Conservative minority government was one of the shortest and least productive. The party was able to pass only seven of 38 bills introduced, and after nine months pushed unpopular fiscal policy and a proposed gas tax that forced an election.

Paul Martin

Martin’s Liberals managed to stay in office for 17 months — roughly the average duration of a minority government. They introduced 93 bills and passed 54, including a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and a 10-year, $41-billion health care deal with the provinces.

Martin’s time in office was relatively productive in the historical context. The minority Liberals passed 70 per cent of legislation, the same proportion as Jean Chretien’s majority government.

The road ahead

Current polls have Harper headed for another minority, where he will once again be forced to rely on the opposition to pass legislation.

Harper has argued that the current economic situation calls for a majority government that can act quickly and decisively.

“Don’t go out and vote just to have an opposition,” he said in early October, before referring to partisan fighting that stalled the American financial bailout. “We don't need a Parliament that acts and functions like the American Congress.”

Although minorities can be inefficient by nature, more negotiation means legislation is more likely to reflect a wider range of views, and increased communication can create a more transparent atmosphere.

But minorities also make it possible for parties to point the finger elsewhere when something goes wrong. And there is always instability stemming from the possibility that the opposition parties will unite to defeat the minority government.

Harper seems undaunted by the suggestion. “Whoever wins the election will have a mandate to govern," he said. "I think it will be incumbent upon the opposition parties - at least for a period of time - to respect that mandate. I think they would not do so at their peril.”