Canadian Conservatives' long night may be over

Canada's Conservative Party is about to force either a defeat of the Liberal minority government's budget, or a vote of "no confidence" over a corruption scandal. Either would result in an election, probably on June 27, which might well return the Canadian Right to power after a twelve-year eclipse. At one point, the Conservatives' predecessor party nearly disappeared completely from the Federal House of Commons.

The Conservatives currently enjoy a slight lead over the Liberals in the polls. If the Liberals, who have governed Canada since November of 1993, are ousted in favor of the Conservatives, Stephen Harper will become the first Prime Minister of the party which was formed before last year's election by a merger of the Canadian Progressive Conservative and Reform parties.

The Canadian Right has come a long way since Kim Campbell, the Progressive Conservative who was Canada's only woman Prime Minister, was ousted in 1993 by the Liberals, then led by Jean Chretien. In that election, the Progressive Conservatives went from a majority in the House of Commons to only two members. The official Opposition in the Parliament that followed was the Bloc Quebecois!

Until the merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Western-based Reform Party, Canada lacked any real alternative to the Liberals. But under Harper, the new Conservative party finished a strong second to Martin's Liberals last year- strong enough, in fact, that Martin was forced to form a minority government.

The Far Left New Democratic Party is Canada's third major party, which is given little chance of winning June's election.