INTRODUCTION Majority Government Under Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1968

INTRODUCTION majority government under Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1968. In the 1972 election, the Liberals were Since 1993, Canada has seen the most reduced to the slimmest of minority governments volatile politics in its history. In that year’s — 109 seats to 107 for the Tories under Robert election, two of the long-established parties, the Stanfield — and their caucus became much less Progressive Conservative Party (Canada’s oldest national in scope. Trudeau brought the Liberals party) and the New Democratic Party found back to majority status in the 1974 election. themselves greatly reduced, to two and nine seats, Policies pursued by his government in that respectively. While both rebounded to official mandate — particularly official bilingualism and party status (the threshold for which is 12 seats) in the national energy program — proved alienating the 1997 election, both declined again in the 2000 especially to Western Canadians. In 1979, when election, each barely making official party status. Trudeau could wait no longer before calling an The decline of the two parties is largely due to the election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by a success of two new parties, the Canadian Reform young Westerner, Joe Clark, captured control of Conservative Alliance Party (referred to in the text the House of Commons in an electoral inversion as the Canadian Alliance or simply the Alliance), (i.e., the Liberals got more votes but the Tories formerly the Reform Party; and the Bloc got more seats, which are what count). The Québécois. Both have undergone much turmoil Liberals took a chance that they could win another and several leadership changes since they burst election, and seven weeks into the parliamentary into the Commons as official parties in 1993. By session, they brought Clark’s government down. default, the Liberal Party, relatively stable both in In the 1980 election that followed, the Liberals leadership and membership in this period, has won a majority, but there was a distinct been able to govern without much competition. regionalism in the results: The Liberals held not a The Liberal Party of Canada has governed single seat west of Winnipeg, while they captured for most of its history. All of its leaders in the all but one seat in Quebec. This paradigm set the 20th century served as Prime Minister. Its stage for events that were to come. leadership contests have been generational events; In 1983 and 1984, both parties got new they came in 1919, 1948, 1957, 1968, 1984, and leaders. Clark survived not one but two reviews 1990. During the 20th century, the Liberals of his leadership after the 1980 election loss. alternated between Francophone and Anglophone Nevertheless, he decided the narrow ratification in leaders, partly by design and partly by coincidence. 1983 reflected weakness — although no less a The Progressive Conservative Party has figure than Prince Charles was moved to ask why been the only party other than the Liberals to 66 percent wasn’t enough — so he stepped aside govern. In fact, until 1993, no party other than and ran in the leadership race to replace himself. the two main parties even served as official The Tories chose Brian Mulroney, in part because opposition, although the Progressive Party had the they recognized the foolishness of holding a opportunity from 1921 to 1925 but refused. Less leadership contest only to re-elect Clark. Mulroney than 20 years ago, the Progressive Conservatives was fluent in both official languages. The issue of captured 211 of 282 seats in the House of bilingualism had dogged Conservatives, including Commons, leading some to speculate that they Stanfield and Clark (whose French came with such would be Canada’s main party henceforward. an accent as to be barely passable), and the other This was proved wrong when the 1993 election contender for the Tory leadership, John Crosbie; reduced the party to two seats. Since that time, bilingualism would therefore not be an issue the the struggle for the party has been one of viability. Liberals could use in the next election campaign. They are expected to have a new leader for the Trudeau, apparently aware of his party’s low next general election, as they have had for five of standing with the public, announced his the past seven elections. resignation as Liberal leader on leap year day in The two elections of 1984 and 1993 1984. The Liberal Party chose John Turner as its demonstrate amply that Canadians do not vote new leader. Turner had served in Parliament from governments in as much as they vote them out. both Montreal and Ottawa and was one of those After two minority governments under Lester who ran in the previous leadership race in 1968. Pearson, the Liberals formed a broad national Coming in second in 1984 was Jean Chrétien, who 1 had held nearly every major cabinet post under on free trade with the U.S. than any Canadian Trudeau. leader had ever dared. He pushed two unpopular The Liberals were in a weak position constitutional accords, designed to “bring Quebec going into the 1984 election. Turner could have into the constitution,” Canada’s second largest waited until the spring of 1985, by which time he province having eschewed the historic 1982 would have appeared in Canada with both Queen accord that gave Canada final independence from Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II (events which the United Kingdom. (Although the country has would have been good for his image) but he opted been fully sovereign since 1931, until the for an early election call, supposedly so the patriation in 1982, amendments to Canada’s election would coincide more closely with the U.S. constitution had to be approved by the British presidential election. (It’s frequently believed that Parliament.) Mulroney’s Tories also passed a U.S. presidents manipulate their country’s grievously unpopular national sales tax, the goods economy to their electoral advantage, and the and services tax, or GST. These three acts were Canadian economy benefits from this too.) By body blows to the Tories’ three disparate doing this, Turner couldn’t run on his record — constituencies. Free trade was not well received he had only been Prime Minister for two months by traditional Tory voters in Eastern Canada, most — and had to spend a lot of time defending of whom were descended from Loyalists, people controversial Trudeau decisions, not the least of who fled revolutionary America for Canada. The which was a string of last-minute patronage constitutional deals seemed to offend everyone in appointments. The election was the second Quebec. Those vigorously opposed to Canadian biggest landslide in Canadian history for the federalism were opposed to the deals in principle, Conservatives and a major disaster for the and those in favour of them were outraged by the Liberals. Turner won a seat in Vancouver Mulroney government’s inability to get them although only 39 other Liberal candidates won passed. This led some Quebec MPs to bolt from their seats, 31 of them from central Canada the Progressive Conservative Party (and two from (Quebec and Ontario). the Liberal Party) and start their own party, the Mulroney had put together an uneasy Bloc Québécois. Finally, the imposition of the coalition of traditional Tories, Western populists, GST severely alienated people in the West and Quebec nationalists. These groups got along (particularly Alberta, which has no sales tax of its fine as long as the agenda consisted of undoing own) who had been loyal Tory voters back to the what the Tories perceived as economic damage by days of John Diefenbaker. A new party, the the Liberals under Trudeau, but distinct rifts in the Reform Party, was ready to feed this alienation. assemblage were apparent as the agenda shifted to Reform had not done better than some impressive things like national unity and free trade with the second-place finishes in the 1988 election, and by United States. Mulroney also suffered from a lack 1993, it only had one MP, elected in a 1989 by- of public experience. He had never held office election. before becoming Tory leader, and he was The failure of the Meech Lake Accord, as frequently unable to rein in the excesses of his the first constitutional deal was known, had caucus. As a result, an alarmingly large number of profound political consequences. All of the Tory MPs went down in various corruption provincial premiers who had signed it and pushed scandals ranging from merely absurd to felonious. for it were swept out of office by the voters, one The same leaders squared off again in 1988. The by one. Tory victory in that year’s election reflected not so Following the overwhelming defeat of the much Mulroney’s strength as Turner’s inability to second constitutional package (known as the rally the traditional Liberal vote. While the Liberal Charlottetown Accord) in a 1992 referendum, the caucus more than doubled to 83 seats, this was writing had to be on the wall for Brian Mulroney; still a fraction of what the caucus had been even he found himself in much the same position under Pearson, and it was clear that Turner would Trudeau had been in at the end of his tenure. soon resign. The Tory caucus reduced to a still- Almost nine years to the day after Trudeau healthy 169 seats, Mulroney governed in his announced his resignation as Liberal leader, second mandate as if he had a much larger Mulroney announced his resignation as Tory electorate behind him. He went forth more boldly leader. The field for the leadership race was not 2 as crowded as had been expected; it is believed Mulroney years.

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