With his first majority mandate, Stephen Harper was congratulated by U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron by telephone on Tuesday.

In return, Harper congratulated Obama on the recent U.S raid in Pakistan that killed terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported.

During the phone call, Obama and Harper agreed to move swiftly to straighten out border congestion that hampers trade between the two trading partners.

"Both leaders agreed to move quickly," said Fife, noting that new screening methods and better information sharing will be part of the plan.

As Harper arrived back in Ottawa with a 166 seats in Parliament, he was also greeted by Conservative loyalists who had gathered at the airport to cheer on their chief.

But despite the warm welcome, Harper said of the first priorities of his new majority government will be to earn the trust of all Canadians -- not just those who supported the Conservatives.

Harper achieved a majority of the seats of the House of Commons on Monday's election, with the New Democrats overtaking the Liberals for second place to become the official Opposition.

"Even as a majority you have to on an ongoing basis keep the trust of the population and that's what we will be committed to doing, not only where we won but in areas where we didn't win, trying to gain more trust," Harper told reporters in Calgary.

He also sought to put to rest any fears that he would try to implement a hard right agenda, saying he is committed to unversal, public health care and his government plans to increase health spending annually. But Harper said the Conservatives also plan to sit down with the provinces to discuss making the system more effective and efficient.

In his Monday night victory speech Harper said the win for the Conservatives sets the stage for four years of strong, stable, national Conservative majority government -- something he repeatedly asked for throughout the election.

On Tuesday he suggested Canadians should not expect any major surprises in the way his party governs.

"We got that mandate because of the way we have governed, because of our record, and Canadians expect us to continue to move forward in the same way -- to be true to the platform we've run on, true to the kind of values we've laid out before them and that's what we will do," he said.

Harper said he was "disappointed but not discouraged" with his party's showing in Quebec -- the Conservatives won just six seats in the NDP-dominated province and several key cabinet ministers lost their ridings.

But he said as a Canadian and a federalist he was encouraged by the Bloc's failure in Quebec, suggesting his party's policies on Quebec have helped reverse the sovereigntist tide.

Lastly, Harper acknowledged "it feels great" to have received a majority mandate. But, he added, he is aware of "the immense challenges that lie before us in the government and the responsibility this government carries with it."

The Bloc won just four seats in Quebec, with leader Gilles Duceppe losing his own seat and announcing his resignation.

Historic election

It was an election of both historic wins and devastating losses.

For the Conservatives, the win represents only the third time a Canadian prime minister has won three consecutive terms.

For the New Democrats the result vaults them to the position of official opposition for the first time in the party's history.

For the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois the election represents historic losses, with both leaders losing their own ridings and their parties sinking to some of the lowest seat counts ever.

Both Ignatieff and Duceppe announced their resignation as leader of their parties.

Layton, riding high on the Orange wave that swept across Quebec and other parts of Canada, beamed as he addressed his raucous supporters Monday night.

"Spring is here my friends and a new chapter begins," Layton told a huge crowd in Toronto during a victory speech. "Tonight's result didn't come about in 35 days, it's been 50 years in the making."

As of Tuesday morning, these were the results for elected or leading ridings (numbers in brackets represent Parliament before the election writ dropped):

  • Conservatives: 167 ridings (143)
  • NDP: 102 ridings (36)
  • Liberals: 34 (77)
  • Bloc Quebecois: 4 (47)
  • Green: 1

To secure a majority government, 155 of 308 seats are needed.