Mark Carney’s Liberals won a majority in the House of Commons on April 13, 2026, taking all three by-elections held that Monday. The party now holds 174 of 343 seats, two more than the 172 needed for control, according to The Globe and Mail.
The winners were Danielle Martin in University-Rosedale and Doly Begum in Scarborough Southwest, both in Toronto, and Tatiana Auguste in Terrebonne, Quebec. Newsweek called it the Liberals’ first majority since 2019.
A majority built in two steps
The Liberals did not get here on ballots alone. Five MPs from opposition parties, many of them Conservatives, had already crossed the floor to join the government before the by-elections. That left Carney one seat short. Terrebonne closed the gap. The Globe and Mail described the combination of floor-crossers and by-election wins as a first in Canadian parliamentary history.
Carney issued a statement after midnight. “This is how we will continue to govern,” he said. “We will work with all parties and solicit all perspectives in Parliament.”
Poilievre calls it a backroom majority
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rejected the idea that voters had handed Carney this result. “The Carney government did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s by-elections,” he said. “Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed people who voted for them.”
Newsweek reported that analysts see that argument as possibly weakening Poilievre’s own position, particularly if more MPs defect and enlarge the Liberal margin in the coming months.
What lifted the Liberals
Daniel Béland of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada tied the government’s strength partly to the backlash against U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats. “Mark Carney with his steady hand, is perceived by many Canadians as someone who can weather the storm,” Béland said.
Polling cited by The Globe and Mail put the Liberals at 45 percent support, with Carney’s personal approval at 52 percent as preferred prime minister.
Sources
- Mark Carney Scores Major Election Victory in Canada
- Liberals secure majority government with sweep of three by-elections
