CANADA: Canada's first Conservative government in more than a decade was sworn in yesterday but the administration's fragile minority position will limit its ability to push through much in the way of radical change.
The Conservatives won the January 23rd election by promising to clean up government after 12 years of Liberal rule. They also want to cut taxes, clamp down on crime and boost defence spending.
"Our mission is clear. We will restore faith and trust in our public institutions as we keep Canada strong and united," prime minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. Mr Harper (46), an economist, is the country's 22nd prime minister and the fifth youngest person to take up the job since Canada gained independence from Britain in 1867.
Mr Harper united Canada's two squabbling right-wing opposition parties in late 2003. He campaigned against what he said were Liberal corruption and excess, and arrived for the formal ceremony in a family minivan rather than the usual prime ministerial limousine.
But he faces a daunting task. His party controls little more than a third of the seats in the House of Commons, where the Conservatives have no natural allies and could easily be defeated by the opposition.
Mr Harper's long-term agenda includes gradually transferring more money and power from Ottawa to the 10 provinces, an idea opposed by the Liberals and the left-leaning New Democrats. He also plans to allow a free vote on whether to scrap laws legalising gay marriage, another election promise that, although largely symbolic, is likely to generate a great deal of controversy.
The official swearing-in ceremony yesterday morning was partially overshadowed by the defection of former Liberal industry minister David Emerson to the Conservatives, bringing Mr Harper's novice cabinet some much-needed experience.
Earlier in the day, Mr Martin formally handed in his resignation to Governor General Michaëlle Jean, the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state. - (Reuters)