Carney clinches majority government after winning three byelections
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a majority government after three byelection wins.
Going into Monday night, the Liberals held 171 seats in the House of Commons and needed to win only one of the three byelections to have a slim majority. Liberal wins in the University-Rosedale, Scarborough Southwest and Terrebonne byelections bring the party’s seat count to 174.
The Liberals were heavy favourites in the two Toronto ridings which were won handily by former cabinet ministers in the 2025 election. Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and former defence minister Bill Blair both announced their resignations earlier this year, leaving the two seats vacant.
The Quebec riding of Terrebonne was also up for grabs after the Supreme Court of Canada annulled the 2025 election result due to a ballot processing error.
Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste, who was named the MP for Terrebonne until a court decision nullified the result, faced a challenge from Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné in a rematch from last year’s election.
As of 12:20 a.m. ET Tuesday morning, Auguste had 48.4 per cent of the popular vote or 22,445 votes, while Sinclair-Desgagné had 46.8 per cent or 21,714, with 100 per cent of the polls reporting.
Liberals told reporters on Monday that a majority government would help them deal with an increasingly unruly world.
“All I can say is, when you’re dealing with global uncertainty, certainty helps,” said Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed on Monday.
The 174 seats allow the party to pass legislation without relying on the Speaker or support from the opposition parties and could allow the Liberals to reconfigure parliamentary committees to give themselves majority control, leaving opposition MPs with less ability to slow the government’s legislative agenda.
Liberal candidate Danielle Martin won against Conservative candidate Donald Hodgson in the University—Rosedale riding, while Liberal candidate Doly Begum beat out Conservative candidate Diana Filipova for the Scarborough Southwest seat.
“As of tonight Mark Carney and our entire incredible Liberal team have earned an even more powerful mandate to continue building a better Canada,” said Martin, following her victory. “This is not a mandate to be quiet, it is not a mandate to take our time, it is a mandate to get to work.”
Begum, who served as the former deputy leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, resigned from provincial politics after being recruited by the federal Liberal party to run in Blair’s old riding.
“Tonight we celebrate something so powerful, not just this incredible campaign, but a community coming together, putting aside their differences, to choose hope, compassion and progress,” said Begum, during her victory speech in front of supporters.
Since the 2025 election, the Liberals have courted five MPs to cross the floor, with longtime Ontario Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu being the latest to cross last week.
The Liberals have not had a majority government since 2019. This is also the first time in Parliament’s history that a majority government was secured through a combination of floor-crossers and byelections.
In a statement on Monday evening, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney did not win his majority through a general election or through byelections, but instead “ through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them.”
“ Liberals expect Canadians to give up, get complacent and go away, so Carney can have total power without any accountability,” said Poilievre, in a post on X. “That will not happen. Our country and its people are worth fighting for.”
Speculation continues that Liberals are courting more floor-crossers from the opposition parties. Earlier Monday, Conservative MP Billy Morin told reporters gathered for a press conference in Ottawa that the Liberals were trying to “poach me.”
Late Monday, Carney congratulated both candidates on their wins. The prime minister is expected to make an announcement on affordability at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday in Ottawa.
National Post, with files from Stephanie Taylor and Josefine Lukaszek
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