Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has tightened his grip on power after his Liberal Party secured a narrow majority in the House of Commons, following projected victories in at least two by-elections held on Monday.
The gains come roughly a year after Carney assumed office and follow a wave of defections, with five opposition lawmakers crossing over to the Liberals.
With 173 of the 343 seats now in its control, the Liberal Party is positioned to advance its legislative agenda with greater ease.
Results from a third by-election remain uncertain.
The majority means Carney’s government can pass laws without relying on opposition support, potentially delaying any federal election until 2029.
Canadian media outlets projected Liberal wins in two Toronto-area ridings, Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale.
The vacancies in those constituencies arose after former Defence Minister Bill Blair was appointed Canada’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, while former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland took up an advisory role with Ukraine.
Carney congratulated the winning candidates, Danielle Martin and Doly Begum, in a post on X late Monday.
In Quebec’s Terrebonne riding, Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste held a narrow lead over Bloc Québécois contender Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné as of 22:30 local time (02:30 GMT), with about 30 per cent of ballots counted.
Auguste had previously won the seat by a single vote before the result was annulled by the Supreme Court earlier this year due to a clerical error involving a mail-in ballot.
The development marks a notable political turnaround for the Liberals, who had been widely expected to lose last year’s election before former prime minister Justin Trudeau stepped down in January, ending nearly a decade in office.
Carney subsequently emerged as party leader and led the Liberals to a minority government victory last April, buoyed by a surge in support amid heightened rhetoric from US President Donald Trump.
This is the first time in Canada’s history that a governing party has achieved a majority through a mix of by-election wins and defections.
Trudeau was the last Canadian leader to secure a majority through a general election, achieving the feat in 2015 before his government later slipped into minority status.
Even before the latest by-elections, Carney had strengthened his numbers in parliament by attracting five defectors, four from the Conservatives and one from the New Democratic Party, over the past five months.
Reports suggest additional opposition lawmakers are being courted by the Liberals to switch allegiance.
“The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s by-elections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them,” said Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on X on Monday night.
He added, “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.”
