Canadian voters reject Liberal lawmakers

Antigay lawmaker Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party won national elections Monday and ended 13 years of Liberal rule, a victory expected to move Canada rightward on social and economic issues and lead to improved ties with the United States. The Conservatives' winning margin was too narrow to avoid ruling with a minority government, a situation that will make it difficult to get legislation through a divided House of Commons.

The triumph for the Conservatives came with many Canadians weary of the broken promises and corruption scandals under the Liberal Party, making them willing to give Harper a chance to govern despite concerns that some of his social views are extreme.

"Tonight, friends, our great country has voted for change, and Canadians have asked our party to take the lead in delivering that change," Harper told some 2,000 cheering supporters at his campaign headquarters in Calgary.

Relations with the Bush administration will likely improve under Harper, as his ideology runs along the same lines as that of many U.S. Republicans.

With nearly all votes counted in the race for the 308-seat House, officials results showed Conservatives with 123 seats, Liberals with 103, Bloc Quebecois with 50, New Democratic Party with 28, and one seat to an Independent. Three seats still haven't been determined.

Prime Minister Paul Martin conceded defeat and said he would step down as head of the party, though he plans to remain in parliament to represent the Montreal seat he won again. It was an unusual move to do both on the same night, but Martin appeared upbeat and eager to continue to fight the Conservatives from the opposition benches of the House. "I have just called Stephen Harper and I've offered him my congratulations," Martin told a subdued crowd at his headquarters in Montreal. "We differ on many things, but we all share a belief in the potential and the progress of Canada."

The Conservative victory seemed likely to shift the traditionally liberal country to the right on socioeconomic issues such as health care, taxation, abortion, and same-sex marriage. Some Canadians have expressed reservations about Harper's views opposing abortion and marriage equality.

Martin, 67, had trumpeted eight consecutive budget surpluses and sought to paint Harper as a right-winger posing as a moderate to woo mainstream voters. He claimed Harper supports the war in Iraq, which most Canadians oppose, and would try to outlaw abortion and same-sex marriage.

Harper denied those claims and said Sunday that Martin had failed to swing voters against him. "Canadians can disagree, but it takes a lot to get Canadians to intensely hate something or hate somebody. And it usually involves hockey," Harper quipped. (AP)