Liberal Party Secures Majority in House of Commons
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party has secured a narrow majority in the House of Commons, strengthening its hold on power following projections by Canadian media that the party would win at least two seats in Monday's by-elections.
These electoral gains come one year after Carney assumed office and follow five defections from opposition members of parliament to the Liberals.
With these results, the Liberals now hold 173 of the 343 seats in the House, granting Carney increased flexibility to advance his political agenda. The outcome of a third special election remains uncertain.
This majority enables the party to pass legislation without requiring support from opposition members and could allow Carney to avoid calling a federal election until 2029.
By-Election Victories in Toronto Ridings
Canadian broadcasters CBC, CTV, and the Globe and Mail have projected Liberal victories in two Toronto-area ridings: Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale.
These seats became vacant after former Liberal Defence Minister Bill Blair was appointed Canada's ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Chrystia Freeland, who served as deputy prime minister under Justin Trudeau, became an adviser to Ukraine.
Contested By-Election in Quebec
A third by-election in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne showed Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste holding a slight lead over Bloc Quebecois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné as of 22:30 local time on Monday (02:30 GMT), with approximately 30% of ballots counted.
Auguste had previously won that riding by a single vote in the last election; however, the results were invalidated by the Supreme Court earlier this year due to a clerical error on a mail-in ballot.
Historical Significance and Political Context
This majority represents a notable turnaround for the Liberals, who were expected to lose last year's election before former leader Justin Trudeau ended nearly a decade in power and resigned in January.
Carney subsequently ran successfully to lead the party, and last April he guided the Liberals to a minority government victory as support increased in response to aggressive rhetoric from US President Donald Trump.
This marks the first instance in Canada where a majority government was formed through a combination of special elections and defections to the governing party.
Trudeau was the last prime minister to form a majority government after his 2015 election sweep, although his government was later reduced to a minority.
Impact of Defections
Prior to the by-elections, Carney had already strengthened his position in the House of Commons with five defections over the past five months—four from the Conservative Party and one from the left-wing New Democratic Party.
