Canada’s Carney secures majority government with special election wins
With a parliamentary majority, Mark Carney will have a freer hand to govern – and solidify his grip on leading Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney returns to Parliament on Tuesday with more power after he secured a majority government by sweeping three special elections.
Carney’s Liberals now have 174 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons and won’t need support from opposition parties to pass legislation after winning three districts that became vacant after last year’s election.
It would also likely mean Carney, who took office with no political experience and has earned global praise for his efforts to band middle-power nations together, would not have to worry about an election for years.
“He will be able to pass legislation without having to go to the opposition to secure enough votes,” said Andrew McDougall, assistant professor in Canadian politics at the University of Toronto.
The Liberals have relied on selective support from the Conservatives to pass economic and trade-related legislation in the last year.
Carney has solidified his grip on leading Canada until at least 2029, when national elections are due to be held next. The last time a federal government had a majority in Parliament was under Justin Trudeau from 2015 to 2019.