getting a jump on the coming dysfunction

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: despite all those headlines and editorials that have flourished in the aftermath of this week’s election, there is no such thing as a “strengthened minority” – not in terms of parliamentary power, at least. As long as the government can’t win a vote without the support of at least one opposition party, a beefed-up Conservative caucus does little to boost Stephen Harper’s ability to control the agenda of the House of Commons. Beyond giving the PM a more impressive backdrop of devoted followers during Question Period, and possibly providing him with a few more options for future cabinet construction, twenty new members – or, if you go by the count at dissolution, sixteen more MPs than he had when the House rose in June – will have no impact on the workings of the House.