In light of the Canadian Election tonight, what’s the difference between minority and majority government? What does it mean?
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The Canadian House of Parliament has 338 seats.
If a party claims 170 or more seats, they control more than half the seats in the House. This is Majority government: they control the majority of the seats in the House. This means that on any given vote, even if all the other members vote against something the majority party puts forward they can’t outvote them. The Liberals have had a Majority government for the last four years.
If a party claims less than 170 seats, but they get more seats than any other party, they control a plurality of the seats. This is Minority government. It means that if enough members band together, they can defeat a motion put forth by the minority government. If the party currently forming government is defeated in a vote, this is known as a “no confidence” vote and it automatically triggers an election. The Liberals are predicted to form a minority government after tonight’s election.
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