Canada's 23rd general election was held on January 23, 2006. Only
20 months earlier, on June 28, 2004, the governing Liberals—in power
continuously since 1993—had been reduced to a minority in
Parliament, winning 135 of 308 seats and 37% of the popular vote. Minority
governments in Canada typically have quite short half-lives, and the
Liberal government formed in 2004 was no exception. After narrowly
avoiding defeat on its budget bill in May 2005, the government lost a vote
of confidence in the House of Commons on November 28, and Canadians faced
the prospect of a winter trek to the polls. And, since the holiday season
was fast approaching, Election Day was deferred until late January, making
the campaign an atypically long one by Canadian standards. It also proved
to be a very exciting one.