Harper returns as prime minister with stronger minority government

By Andrew Mayeda
Canwest News Service

Stephen Harper pledged to work with the opposition parties on Tuesday. (Andy Clark/Reuters)

CALGARY - Stephen Harper, denied the majority he has been seeking, accepted his party's new mandate to govern "with humility" and pledged to work with the opposition parties to "weather the storm" facing the Canadian economy.

"As the result of our campaign, our party is bigger, our support base is broader and more Canadians are finding a home in the Conservative Party of Canada," the prime minister in his acceptance speech.

Nevertheless, the victory was tempered by the fact that the Conservatives will once again form a minority government.

"As Conservatives, we have governed rarely and we accept this result and this responsibility with humility and without hesitation," told about 1,000 supporters, many of them waving "Harper" placards or clapping thunder sticks, gathered at the Telus Convention Centre in downtown Calgary.

"Our new caucus is broad and representative of Canada . . . At the same time, its scope is not as wide as it should be. So regardless of how you voted, know that we will form an inclusive and responsive government that protects the interests of all Canadians in all communities of this country."

Harper hailed the various opposition leaders, congratulating Liberal Leader Stephane Dion for his "12 years in passionate defence of the causes that are dear to your heart."

The prime minister then called on the opposition parties to work with his government to protect the savings and earnings of Canadians amid the global financial crisis.

"This is a time for us all to put aside political difference and partisan considerations and to work co-operatively for the benefit of Canada," he said.

Earlier Tuesday, Stephen Harper was hunkered down with his staff at the Hyatt Regency Hotel as party workers set up the party's election-night event.

Conservative supporters were relatively restrained in their enthusiasm throughout the evening.

There was a smattering of applause by supporters filtering into the convention centre as Global TV predicted a Conservative minority.

Some were clearly disappointed to see the Conservatives falling short of a majority that seemed within reach in the early weeks of the campaign.

"I think we'll have wasted our money if we don't get a majority,"  Conservative supporter Jan Sproule said as she watched the results.

However, party heavyweight Preston Manning said the victory was a step in the right direction.

"They managed to get a minority last time and they've got a stronger minority this time. The graph is going up," said the former Reform Party leader. "We'd all like to see it get to a majority faster, but I don't think you can complain about the trend."

Conservative Industry Minister Jim Prentice said parliamentarians will be under pressure to put aside their differences to address the global financial crisis.

"I think it's very clear that Canadians get it right every time when it comes to an election. It's the obligation of everybody who's elected going into the House of Commons to make Parliament work at this point," he said.

Early results suggested the Conservatives only achieved a slight gain in overall popular support nationwide. In terms of seats, they made significant gains in Ontario and British Columbia - two of the three key provincial battlegrounds. But they lost a seat in Quebec, where the party was hoping to gain ground.

"I think there was a very, very nasty campaign by the Bloc against the prime minister over the so-called culture cuts that never ever happened - we actually increased the budget. But when an emotional thing gets going like that it's hard to recover," said Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton.

Harper hoped to run a cautious campaign with few policy surprises, but the party was side-swiped by a steep decline in support in Quebec and the eruption of the global financial crisis.

Harper started his day by watching his son Ben, 12, take part in a practice with the Calgary Flames.

Later, the prime minister cast his vote at a junior high school in his riding of Calgary Southwest.