Canada: Stephen Harper resigns as Conservative leader following election loss

Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his resignation as Conservative Party leader during a concession speech in Calgary, Tuesday, after losing the elections to Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau. Harper, who was seeking his fourth consecutive term as prime minister, lost out to Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau in a late surge of critical votes. The Liberals, who held only 36 seats at the time of Parliament's dissolution won with a clear majority, making Trudeau the first new prime minister of Canada since 2006. Harper was the first leader and one of the founders of the Conservative Party of Canada, which was formed as a result of a merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.