Particle.news
Download on the App Store
38 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Canada Votes in Three By-Elections That Could Hand Carney a Majority

A majority would let Mark Carney set House rules and committee lineups without striking deals with rivals.

Image
Prime Minister Mark Carney, right and local candidate Tatiana Auguste, visit a local pub in her riding of Terrebonne, Que., on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste greet people as they campaign in her riding in Terrebonne, Que., on Thursday, April 9, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle/File Photo

Overview

  • Voters in the Toronto seats of Scarborough Southwest and University—Rosedale and in Quebec’s Terrebonne are casting ballots Monday in by-elections that could tip the Liberals into a majority, with results expected tonight.
  • The party entered the day with 171 of 343 seats after five opposition defections. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called the floor crossings a betrayal of voters.
  • Winning any one seat would reach the technical majority, and holding both Toronto ridings would likely lift the Liberals to 173 for a sturdier working edge.
  • Terrebonne is a rerun after the Supreme Court annulled a one-vote Liberal win because some mail-in ballots carried the wrong return address, and the Bloc Québécois is pressing hard to retake the seat.
  • A majority would let the government change standing orders to reshape committees and move bills without relying on opposition votes, while the Speaker’s tie-breaking role means 173 seats is the safer target than 172.