January 2003
Jack Layton, a long-serving Toronto city councillor and former York University professor, is voted leader of the NDP, inheriting the mantle of the iconic Ed Broadbent.
November 2003
Paul Martin, one of Canada’s best-known finance ministers and recent rival to his boss, Jean Chretien, officially becomes the leader of the Liberal party.
December 2003
Prime Minister Jean Chretien retires after 10 years in office, and Martin is sworn in as prime minister.
The new Conservative Party of Canada is officially registered, a product of the “unite the right” movement that resulted in the mergers of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance, the country’s two strongest right-of-centre parties.
February 2004
Not long after Paul Martin becomes prime minister, the Liberals are enmeshed in the now-infamous sponsorship scandal. At issue is the alleged misuse of government money originally intended to support the federalist cause in the battle with Quebec separatists. Martin orders an inquiry, headed by Justice John Gomery.
Liberal support drops dramatically – particularly in Quebec -- as the public finds out millions of taxpayer dollars were paid to Liberal-friendly advertising firms and individuals which produced little to not real work.
March 2004
Stephen Harper, a former Reform Party MP and leader of the National Citizens Coalition, is elected leader of the Conservative party.
June 2004
Up until the sponsorship scandal, many people were predicting Martin would lead the Liberals to a majority government. But the June general election stripped him and the Liberals of their majority, giving them 135 seats and a minority government.
The newly merged Conservative party improves its position slightly, but the unite-the-right expectations fall short.
May 2005
Government wins a confidence motion in parliament by just one vote. The opposition is determined to defeat the Liberals on the basis of the sponsorship scandal.
July 2005
Senate approves Bill C-38, legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada.
November 2005
The commission set up to further investigate the misspent government money exonerates Paul Martin. Justice John Gomery concludes in his report that Martin was influenced by Jean Chretien, and criticizes Chretien.
The Conservative party, along with the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois, team up to bring Paul Martin’s minority Liberal government down in a vote of no confidence.
January 2006
After 12 years of Liberal government, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives win back power in a general election, although they fail to capture a majority of seats.
March 2006
Paul Martin announces he will step down as Liberal leader.
May 2006
MPs vote 198-77 to extend Canada’s military deployment in Afghanistan until 2009. The Conservative and Liberal parties vote in lockstep on this issue.
August 2006
Elizabeth May, an American-born lawyer and former head of the Sierra Club of Canada, is chosen leader of the burgeoning Green Party.
November 2006
A proposal is put forward by Stephen Harper, and Parliament agrees, that the Quebecois should be considered a “nation” within Canada.
December 2006
The Liberals choose Stephane Dion, former intergovernmental affairs minister and chief architect of the “Clarity Act,” as leader. In the run-up to the convention, Dion faces strong competition from rivals Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae. Ignatieff finishes a close second when the two face off for the final ballot, netting 45.3 per cent of the vote. Rae – who many favoured to win the leadership – dropped out after the third ballot.
March 2007
The Action Democratic Party makes dramatic gains in Quebec’s provincial elections. The platform pushes for more autonomy for Quebec, but within a federal structure. It reduces the governing Liberals to minority status and knocks the separatist PQ into third place.
October 2007
Buzz over the possibility of a snap election is everywhere, spurred by the possibility the opposition could reject the minority Conservative government’s annual policy address. In that address, Stephen Harper offers MPs a vote on military involvement in Afghanistan and outlines tax cuts. Holding only 126 seats in the 308-seat parliament, the Conservatives need the support of at least one of the three main opposition parties to push the policy through.
Liberals support the government, NDP and Bloc Quebecois vote against; an election is averted.
June 2008
Dion releases the Liberal Green Shift, a comprehensive environmental plan that mixes tax cuts with a controversial carbon tax. The platform becomes a focus of criticism for the Tories and pundits predict it will be a central battleground if an election is called before the end of the year.
August/September 2008
Harper sets the stage for an election in the coming weeks, claiming he can no longer work with the opposition. Stephane Dion says Harper is trying to mask the failures and uncertainty in his own party.
September 7, 2008
Harper asks Governor-General Michaelle Jean to dissolve Parliament, paving the way for Canada’s third federal election in just four years.
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