A minority government occurs when the governing party holds the most seats but fewer than half of total seats in Parliament or a legislature, requiring support from other parties to pass legislation and survive confidence votes. Minority governments must negotiate with opposition parties on each significant vote, leading to more collaborative but potentially less stable governance. Minority governments can fall if they lose confidence votes, triggering elections. Federal and provincial elections regularly produce minorities when vote splits prevent any party from winning outright majorities. For municipalities, minority governments at provincial levels may mean less predictable policy directions and more frequent elections affecting provincial-municipal programs.