Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a majority government after Liberal candidates won two of three federal byelections Monday night, giving the party 173 seats in the House of Commons. Projected victories by Doly Begum in Scarborough Southwest and Danielle Martin in University-Rosedale pushed the Liberals over the majority threshold and strengthened Carney’s grip on Parliament.
The Liberals entered the night one seat short of a majority after five opposition politicians crossed the floor to join the governing party in recent months. The two Toronto wins now give Carney’s government greater control over House committees and more freedom to move legislation without negotiating as heavily with opposition parties.
Results were still pending in Terrebonne, the Montreal-area riding the Liberals captured by a single vote over the Bloc Québécois in the 2025 federal election. The Liberal candidate moved ahead of the Bloc late in the evening, though the race remained tight as the count continued. Elections Canada had warned the tabulation would be slow, and by 10:55 p.m. ET, more than 70 per cent of polls had reported.
The outcome marks a major political milestone for Carney and the Liberal Party. The achievement is notable because Carney was still a private citizen 16 months ago, and the Liberals had been trailing the Conservatives by 20 points in the polls.
Doly Begum calls win a “new beginning”. Begum addressed supporters in Scarborough Southwest after her projected victory and thanked both her campaign team and the community.
“I am so proud of each and every single one of you,” she said, “and what we’ve accomplished together. “Tonight we celebrate a new beginning.”
In University-Rosedale, MP-elect Danielle Martin told supporters the party had won a stronger mandate and must move quickly.
“As of tonight, Mark Carney and our entire incredible Liberal team have earned an even more powerful mandate to continue building a better Canada,” she said to cheers from the crowd.
“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 on housing, on affordability, on health care and climate change and infrastructure, on the future of our economy and the public services that are more important to this country than ever.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vowed to keep fighting in opposition and accused the Liberals of securing their majority through political deal-making rather than a broad electoral victory.
“The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s byelections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them,” Poilievre wrote in a social media post.
“Liberals expect Canadians to give up, get complacent and go away, so Carney can have total power without any accountability. That will not happen. Our country and its people are worth fighting for.”
Although some former Conservative MPs helped the Liberals reach majority territory by crossing the floor, Poilievre said he will remain leader.
“I 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.”
With the Liberals now holding a majority, Carney’s government is expected to move more aggressively on its legislative agenda, while opposition parties face the task of regrouping after a byelection night that changed the balance of power in Ottawa.
