The Liberal Party of Canada led a minority government for the entirety of the 38th Canadian Parliament.
One of these vacancies was filled through a by-election, and two seats remained vacant when the 2006 federal election was called.
The seat has traditionally been a Liberal stronghold, and O'Brien always carried the riding with comfortable pluralities.
However, the federal Liberals had lost popularity in Atlantic Canada since the 2004 federal election, largely due to disputes with the Progressive Conservative provincial governments of these provinces, especially that of Newfoundland and Labrador over the relationship between offshore petroleum revenues and equalization payments.
Following the 2004 election, the Liberals combined with the left-leaning New Democratic Party held 154 seats, or exactly half of the 308-seat House of Commons of Canada.