Thirty-six years after he was first elected to the House of Commons, it's déjà vu all over again for Ed Broadbent. Voters in the federal riding of Ottawa Centre are sending him to Parliament with one of 19 seats for the NDP in a minority Liberal government. In an interview on CBC's As It Happens, Broadbent recalls the last time he was in a minority government and says the ball is in the prime minister's court.

• Broadbent was elected in Ottawa Centre by a margin of over 6,000 votes to beat his nearest opponent, Liberal Richard Mahoney.
• According to This magazine, Mahoney left a voice mail on voters' telephones on the day of the election. The message claimed Broadbent, if elected, was planning to give up the seat should leader Jack Layton need it after losing his race in Toronto.

• On election night, Broadbent told supporters: "Here in the nation's capital and across the country, we have too many poor children, and I'm going to fight for that. It's not enough to have an efficient, competitive economy; it's damn well time we put social justice on the political agenda." He added that the minority government meant the NDP would be able to "do constructive things for the people of Canada."

• Since rejoining Parliament, Broadbent has spoken out on the case of Syrian-Canadian Maher Arar, an Ottawa man who says he was detained and tortured in Syria with the complicity of the Canadian government.
• Broadbent has also written editorials about the continuing problem of child poverty in Canada.

• In May 2005 Broadbent announced he would not run again in the next federal election. Citing concerns about the health of his wife Lucille, Broadbent told a news conference: "The major decisions made in one's life are made quickly. I realized, one day, where my obligations were."

Medium: Radio
Program: As It Happens
Broadcast Date: June 29, 2004
Host: Rita Celli
Guest(s): Ed Broadbent
Duration: 7:28