Another minority government? Potential election outcomes, explained

REPLAY: English-language federal leaders' debate Watch the full English-language debate as the five major federal party leaders sparred over the key issues concerning Canadians.

OTTAWA — As was the case in the 2019 campaign, at this point in the race based on polling, a majority government may be out of reach for both the Liberal and Conservative parties. So what are the potential minority government scenarios Canada could be facing?

There are a few scenarios that could unfold, but first it’s important to establish that there is no hard rule book for how these post-election talks can go, just historical convention and precedent.

Parliament has 338 seats, so in order to win a majority government a party needs to elect 170 or more MPs. This secures their ability to pass all key measures without needing another party’s support and sets up for four years of governing.

Heading into the 2021 campaign the Liberals held 155 seats, the Conservatives had 119, the NDP held 24, the Bloc Quebecois had 32, the Green Party had two seats, there were five Independents and one vacancy.

In the event that no one wins a majority of the seats, things could go a few different ways.

Before getting into the various scenarios, here’s a brief explainer on minority governments and coalitions:

Here’s a brief synopsis of where the party leaders stand on minority or coalition potentialities:

And here’s how it could all play out:

Liberals look to govern

In our political system, the incumbent party is largely seen to have the first right to attempt to continue governing after an election, even if they don’t win the most seats.

That’s right: Just because a party wins the most seats in an election, it doesn’t mean they automatically will form the next government.

So, if the seat count is close but the Conservatives win more, Trudeau could opt to not accept defeat and take the first chance to test the confidence of the House of Commons.

This would see Trudeau, who would still be the prime minister, reconvening MPs for a new session of Parliament. There, he’d present a Speech from the Throne and this would be the first and key confidence vote he’d need to pass.

If he secured the confidence of the House with that vote he can continue to govern—albeit likely amid some considerable contention. And if not, and MPs decide it is time for a change, he’s out and all eyes would turn to the Tories.

In a minority, there is no formal power-sharing agreement and the governing party just needs to ensure they secure enough votes on key issues or bills to stay alive.

If the Liberals win the most seats, expect a similar path as was taken in 2019: Trudeau forges ahead, looking to lock in support on a vote-by-vote basis.

The prospect of avoiding a pandemic election may have been a motivating factor for the opposition parties to prop up the Liberals over the last while, but now it could be an option for Trudeau to appeal to the progressive parties to keep that support going to prevent a Conservative government.

Conservatives look to govern

If the Conservatives win the most seats but not a majority, they will likely push to be given the opportunity to form government, but given the convention that the sitting prime minister gets the first shot, unless it’s a clear Conservative victory and Trudeau concedes, the Conservatives wouldn’t be given the chance until after the Liberals tried and failed.

If they are given a chance to govern as a minority, it would roll along in the same way described for the Liberals above, needing to secure opposition backing to stay afloat. A motivating factor could be that if party coffers are wiped out after this race, allowing the Conservatives time to lead would also allow them to replenish their bank accounts ahead of another election.

It’s also in this scenario that a possible coalition could form among the more left-leaning parties in an effort to combine to hold the most seats and thwart a Conservative government, on some sort of agreement for moving ahead more progressive policies. A coalition was attempted, unsuccessfully, just weeks after the 2008 election by the Liberals and NDP with Bloc support, and was largely seen as a power-grab.

It would be in this kind of a situation—naming a new government— where Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon might play a bigger role. It’s the GG’s discretion to determine who is reasonably expected to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons, or to discern what happens after confidence is lost and who might get the next crack at forming government.

However if all above avenues are explored unsuccessfully there is another option.

Canadians head back to the polls

It’s true, Canadians could be faced with another election campaign all over again.

How soon that could happen is very much an open question. A few things to keep in mind: Party standings can fluctuate. If a member is removed from caucus for one reason or another, crosses the floor, resigns their seat, or dies, then the balance of who holds the firmest grip on power could evolve over time.

If the situation is unstable enough that no one manages to hold together a government, or that all attempts are futile, then it may be back to the polls in hopes of a more decisive result.