Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney achieved a significant political milestone on Monday night by securing a majority government through key special election victories. This development enables his Liberal Party to pass legislation without needing the backing of opposition parties.
The special elections were held to fill three vacant seats among the 343 districts in Parliament. In Toronto, Liberal candidate Danielle Martin emerged victorious in the University Rosedale district, while fellow Liberal Doly Begum captured the seat in Scarborough Southwest. The results for a district in Quebec were still pending at the time of reporting.
Following these wins, the Liberal Party is poised to remain in power until 2029, solidifying its political foothold.
Carney ascended to the prime ministerial position in Canada after last year’s election, which was largely driven by public discontent over then-U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial annexation threats. Carney has committed to lessening Canada’s economic dependence on the United States.
His path to a majority was paved by five defections from opposition parties, including four members from the main opposition, the Conservative Party. One of these defectors highlighted Carney’s impactful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In his address, Carney criticized the economic coercion employed by major powers against smaller nations, a stance that garnered him widespread acclaim.
One of those defectors referenced Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as helping in his decision. In that speech, Carney condemned economic coercion by great powers against smaller countries and received widespread praise for his remarks.
Carney, the former head of the Bank of England as well as Canada’s central bank, has moved the Liberals to the center-right since replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister in 2025.
Carney congratulated Martin and Begum in social media posts but did not comment on winning a majority.
Daniel Béland, a political-science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said the Liberals also had a shot at winning the Quebec seat.
Béland said the deterioration of Canada-US relations under the second Trump presidency has convinced many Canadians, including people who do not identify as Liberal, to rally behind the prime minister.
“Mark Carney entered the political arena about 15 months ago, but he is proving himself to be an astute politician,” Béland said. “He remains popular nearly a year after leading his party to victory in late April 2025 and, with the help of a series of floor-crossings, he is now at the helm of a majority government that provides more stability and greater capacity to move forward with his economic and policy agenda.”
The Liberal majority and the recent defections are another blow to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost the previous national election last year and even his own seat. He has since rejoined Parliament.
Poilievre won a party leadership review earlier this year, but continues to have problems controlling his lawmakers.
Poilievre said in a social media post Monday night that he “will continue to lead that fight every day and in every way in Parliament, across the country and in the next election, when Canadians will reclaim the country we know and love.”
