"Oh, I think so," she said when asked if the new year would bring an election. "I couldn't speculate on when, but I think that certainly, we can't have the opposition parties continuing not to participate and exercise their responsibilities.

"They'll (the opposition parties) decide when they want an election, but I think we could say that a stronger government, a majority government, will get more done more quickly."

Being part of a minority government is challenging, said the two-term Conservative MP.

"The greatest challenge as a government is being in a minority government and trying to accomplish everything that you want to," she said.

Now Minister of International Co-operation, Ms. Oda said her expanded role means she doesn't get back to the riding as often as she'd like. But the ministry has taught her a great deal so far, she said. She's travelled extensively since taking on the portfolio, including to Afghanistan where she visited with troops and saw Canadian aid in progress.

"In my portfolio... we can see where a lot of things we have as Canadians that so many millions of people don't and how do we best use Canadian support to make lives better," she said.

While the MP isn't predicting the exact date of a 2008 election, she is forecasting the outcome -- a majority for her Conservative party.

"I definitely think so," said Ms. Oda. "I've been in the riding and people are generally pretty happy. We've got a strong government, we've got a Canada that's more united than it's ever been before, we've got Quebec no longer having discussions about separating, the economy's going well and we've got a clean government."