Editing Pierre Trudeau (section)

== Opposition leader (1979–1980) ==
Trudeau soon announced his intention to resign as Liberal Party leader and favoured [[Donald Stovel Macdonald|Donald Macdonald]] to be his successor.{{sfn|Trudeau (1993)|pp=265}} However, before a [[leadership convention]] could be held, with Trudeau's blessing and [[Allan MacEachen]]'s manoeuvring in the House, the Liberals supported an NDP subamendment to [[1979 Canadian federal budget|Clark's budget]] stating that the House had no confidence in the budget. In Canada, as in most other countries with a [[Westminster system]], budget votes are indirectly considered to be votes of confidence in the government, and their [[loss of supply|failure]] automatically brings down the government. Liberal and NDP votes and Social Credit abstentions led to the subamendment passing 139–133, thereby toppling Clark's government and triggering a new election for a House less than a year old. The Liberal caucus, along with friends and advisors, persuaded Trudeau to stay on as leader and fight the election, with Trudeau's main impetus being the upcoming referendum on Quebec sovereignty.{{sfn|Trudeau (1993)|pp=265–66}}

Trudeau and the Liberals engaged in a new strategy for the [[1980 Canadian federal election|February 1980 election]]: facetiously called the "low bridge", it involved dramatically underplaying Trudeau's role and avoiding media appearances, to the point of refusing a televised debate. On election day, Ontario returned to the Liberal fold, and Trudeau and the Liberals defeated Clark and won a [[majority government]].<ref>{{cite book |first = Stephen |last=Clarkson |title = The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rY64Ph2yjWoC&pg=PA103 |year = 2011 |publisher = UBC Press |pages = 87–105 |isbn = 978-0-7748-4040-8 }}</ref>