New Canada PM faces uphill battle against parliament

THE winner of Canada’s election began facing the challenge yesterday of pushing his agenda of tax cuts and more defence spending through a parliament he does not control.

Conservative Stephen Harper, a 46-year-old economist who will be the country’s first right-wing prime minister in 12 years, won 124 of the 308 seats in Parliament in Monday’s election, relegating the scandal-plagued Liberals to the opposition benches.

Mr Harper, who also wants to calm fractious ties with Washington, has nowhere near the 155 seats he needs to control a 308-seat parliament where he has no natural allies.