Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Parliament Today, a Village Media newsletter devoted exclusively to covering federal politics.
The votes are in, and Canada has a new government.
It’s a process that started months earlier as support for former prime minister Justin Trudeau began to dwindle, both within and outside the Liberal Party. But on Monday night and early into Tuesday, the election wrapped up.
Here’s what you need to know:
What were the results?
Around 10 p.m. Monday night Canada’s major broadcasters called a win for the Liberals’ Mark Carney.
The last ballots were counted Tuesday afternoon, leaving Carney’s Liberals with 169 seats in the House compared to the 144 Conservative seats. The Bloc got 22 seats and the NDP sat at about seven seats. Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May was the sole person in her party to be elected.
What does it mean to have a minority government?
With fewer than half the seats in the House, the Liberals will form a minority.
It’s the same position they were in before the election, which saw the party make deals with the NDP to ensure support in votes of confidence.
Cross-aisle co-operation is necessary in a minority government, as without it, government business can’t go forward and could collapse. This can be avoided through the forming of a formal coalition or informal agreement between parties.
Under Trudeau, the NDP asked the Liberals to launch a dental care program and expand pharmacare, among other things, in exchange for their votes.
Already Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet is indicating a willingness to work with the Liberal Party, urging the new government not to go directly to the NDP to strike a deal. He said he would be willing to discuss Canada’s response to the U.S. trade war, as well as Quebec’s language and secularity.
What happens to the NDP?
The New Democrats are on track to win just seven seats in the House, a significant decrease from the 24 seats it held prior to the election and less than the minimum it needs to maintain its party status.
That threshold is 12 seats. Without that designation, the NDP could miss out on funding, coveted committee spots, and speaking time in the House.
However, the 12-seat rule is not enshrined in law, and can be changed by a sitting government. It’s possible this could be a condition of NDP support.
What happens with the seatless party leaders?
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also lost his riding in Burnaby. In a heartfelt speech early Tuesday morning, he resigned, saying he would stay on until an interim leader is chosen.
CPC Leader Pierre Poilievre also lost his Ottawa riding of Carleton, a riding, which he had held in one form or another since 2004. Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy won with just over 50 per cent of the vote.
Without a seat, Poilievre cannot speak in the House, nor can he participate in Question Period.
The party may ask an elected MP to step down in the near future so that Poilievre can run in a byelection and secure a spot in the House.
Spicy words exchanged
There were also harsh words for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who was accused of “sabotaging” the federal Conservatives and being the “hype man” for the federal Liberals.
MP Jamil Jivani told CBC News that Ford distracted the campaign “trying to make it about him” and “trying to position himself as some kind of political genuis that we need to be taking cues from.”
For his part, Ford told reporters he wasn’t worried about Jivani’s comment and called for unity.
Read more about that interaction here.