Prime Minister Paul Martin says he has no regrets about his campaign, and he's defending his government as a "stable minority."

"I believe that I do have the required mandate, we do have stable minority government," Martin told reporters in Ottawa one day after a narrow Liberal minority win.

He added that he would be spending a lot of money on health care and day care, and would need to get approval before moving forward.

"I feel that I'm in a good position. I'm able to represent the national interest, but we're not talking about a balance of power here."

Martin said he talked to NDP Leader Jack Layton on Monday night, but there was no discussion of forming a coalition. "We agreed it would be important for all of us to make Parliament work," Martin said.

The Liberals won only 135 seats. They would need 155 to have majority status. Pundits say the Liberals' best chance of maintaining stability is to work with the NDP, who have 19 seats.

Even then, the two parties would be one short of a majority. That means they'll occasionally look for support from the Bloc and Conservatives.

"The math will be very important, because until they get that clear number, they can't push the agenda and Jack Layton's power will not be as great," CTV's Mike Duffy told Canada AM.

But Martin said he doesn't think a coalition is necessary because there are similarities between his priorities, and those of the other parties. He said most parties agreed that health care was the major priority.

"There have been no discussions, nor are we talking about coalitions or those kinds of agreements. I think there's a reasonable understanding as to where the priorities lie," Martin said.

He said there would probably be some disagreements among the parties on specific issues, but he'd be moving forward on issues where there is a consensus already. Martin wasn't specific on what those issues would be, but he did say missile defense and unemployment insurance were part of the Liberal program.

On Monday night, Layton outlined Liberal promises that match NDP priorities, including health care, opposition to weapons in space, the Kyoto environmental accord and a national child-care program.