BBC:
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says the country’s voters have demonstrated trust in his government’s plan, after his Liberal Party secured a slim majority in the House of Commons.
The Liberals are projected to have won all three by-elections that took place on Monday. These are on top of gains made over the last year through five opposition members of parliament defecting to Carney’s party.
The PM will now be able to pass legislation without relying on support from opposition benches, and he could stave off a federal election until 2029.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said Carney had relied on defections to win his majority, in an attempt to gain “power without any accountability”.
The by-elections took place in two Toronto-area ridings, or constituencies – Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale – as well as in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, where the contest was closely fought.
Through the night, Canadian media projected wins for the Liberal candidates in each place.
Carney congratulated all three winning Liberal candidates, who were Doly Begum, Danielle Martin and Tatiana Auguste respectively.
In a statement posted on X, the PM wrote that the various candidates from all parties who had contested the elections had “strengthened our democracy at a decisive moment for Canada”.
He went on to say: “Tonight, voters have placed their trust in our new government’s plan. We accept that support with humility, determination and a clear understanding of what this moment demands.”
Liberals will now hold 174 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons, giving Carney more latitude with his political agenda.
Carney has focused that agenda on boosting Canada’s economy, notably in the face of a challenging trade relationship with the US, the country’s largest trading partner.
He will face new pressure to also deliver on significant domestic promises, including major investments in housing construction and on national defence, and making Canada an “energy superpower”.
“The time for delays or excuses will have passed and with it the expectations will rise across multiple policy arenas,” wrote Scotiabank analyst Derek Holt last week on the expected Liberal gains.
The Toronto-area seats were left vacant after former Liberal Defence Minister Bill Blair was appointed to be Canada’s High Commissioner to the UK and Chrystia Freeland, who served as deputy prime minister under Trudeau, became an adviser to Ukraine.
Auguste, the victor in Terrebonne, also won that riding by a single vote in the last election – but the result was later thrown out by the country’s Supreme Court over a clerical error on a mail-in ballot.
