Canadians elected a minority Conservative government led by Stephen Harper as Prime Minister Paul Martin announced he would step down as leader of the Liberal party. After 13 years of Liberal rule, Canadians elected a government led by Harper that was promising squeaky-clean ethics, a crackdown on crime and lower taxes.
Stephen Harper would become the first westerner to head a government since Joe Clark in 1979.
The Conservative win would be the slimmest minority government since Confederation.
One of the major gaffes leading the Liberals to its downfall was a remark made by a Liberal strategist regarding the Conservative plan to grant parents daycare money for children under the age of 6 as "beer and popcorn" money. This suggested that Canadians can't be trusted to spend money in a responsible way.
