Federal Election

Latest poll shows minority government a likely outcome for Monday’s election

Oct 17, 2019 | 4:06 PM

The federal election is less than a week away and according to the most recent poll, a minority government is something Canadians could be seeing in the near future.

In its history, Canada has had 13 minority governments. The most recent coming in a stretch from 2004 to 2011 where we saw three consecutive minority governments voted in.

“We take the victors in all the ridings and add them up and see who is sitting the house of commons. If no party has more seats than all the other parties combined, then we have a minority government,” explained Political Science Lecturer Jason Morris.

Having more options to vote for like we do in Canada surprisingly doesn’t generate more minority governments than you would think.

One person who has had plenty of experience in a minority government is former MP for Skeena-Bulkley Nathan Cullen. He believes a minority government can actually be beneficial for everyone across the nation.

“My experience and in most of Canadian Politics is minority governments are pretty active and they get things done,” shared Cullen to CKPG.

“I think broadly it has worked for Canadians. We’ve had some of our most important and lastly, ideas and programs have come out of minority parliaments. So from my perspective, they are actually a good thing cause in my view, not anyone party has all the answers to the challenges which we face.”

However, a minority government means a shorter term.

On average a minority government usually serves a 2-year term.