The ballots have now been counted and the dust has settled on Canada’s 43rd general election, leaving behind a prime minister heading into his second term in a much weaker position.
Justin Trudeau will now need the support of other parties to pass legislation in the House of Commons. The Liberals saw their seat count reduced by 20, with 157 MPs headed back to Ottawa. Despite winning the popular vote, the Conservatives hold 121 seats, followed by the Bloc Quebecois at 32, NDP with 24, Green Party at three and one independent.
READ MORE: Liberals eke out a win, but will need NDP, Green support to pass bills
This leaves the Liberals short of the 170 votes they will need to pass legislation, forcing them to find support on the opposition benches, most likely from the NDP. The question that remains is what compromises the Liberals will be forced to make in order to find that support. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh could outline a list of priorities that he would like addressed in exchange for his party’s support. Or Prime Minister Trudeau could follow the path of his predecessor, Stephen Harper, who led two minority governments from 2006 to 2011 without any allies in Parliament.
Whatever option the prime minister chooses, the path ahead promises to be much different to the one he followed over his first four years in office.
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