Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a decisive performance in Monday’s by-election, giving his Liberal government a parliamentary majority, according to forecasts from CBC News and other major Canadian media outlets. The results come amid heightened global tensions and Carney has positioned himself as a leading critic of U.S. President Donald Trump and his “America First” policies, a stance that has shaped his political rise and resonated with Canadian voters.The Liberals are currently expected to hold 174 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, which would give Carney a comfortable governing majority and make him less reliant on opposition support when passing legislation.
Three by-elections, three key victories for the Liberal Party
Voters go to the polls on Monday in three vacant ridings in Ontario and Quebec, all of which are expected to fall to the Liberals:
- Scarborough South West (Ontario) – expected to be held by the Liberals
- University–Rosedale (Ontario) – Projected Liberal win
- Terrebonne (Quebec) – Liberals narrowly defeat Bloc Quebecois
The Toronto-area seat was previously held by senior Liberals who quit parliament following a cabinet reshuffle and diplomatic appointments.
Terrebonne: Closest match of the night
Quebec’s Terrebonne riding became the night’s tightest race, drawing national attention as the Liberals narrowly defeated the Bloc Québécois in a closely watched race.Unofficial results showed Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste with 48.4 per cent, ahead of the Bloc Québécois at 46.8 per cent. The Conservatives trailed far behind with 3.3%, followed by the New Democrats (0.5%), the Green Party (0.4%) and the People’s Progressive Party (0.2%).The seat had previously been decided by a razor-thin margin, but the results were overturned due to a clerical error in mail-in ballots, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch.Carney’s parliamentary position has been strengthened not only by a by-election victory but also by recent cross-party moves, with five opposition MPs joining the Liberals in recent months.These developments have left the Prime Minister with a stable majority government, an outcome that was not widely anticipated when he took office.Analysts say Carney will now have greater freedoms after gaining a majority:
- Pass legislation without opposition support
- Advance his economic and trade agenda
- Maintain control of election timing ahead of next federal voting cycle
Conservative leader Pierre Pliyev criticized the results, arguing that the majority was built through defections and by-election victories rather than a general election mandate, and vowed to continue the boycott in parliament.
The Trump factor and the rise of Carney
Since taking office following the resignation of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney has become one of the world’s most outspoken critics of Trump’s economic nationalism, warning of the collapse of the rules-based international order.His stance has resonated at home, with many Canadians uniting to take a more assertive national stance amid rising tensions with the United States. Analysts said the shift helped solidify support for the Liberal Party, with Carney seen as a sound economic manager who can deal with uncertainty.
