Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and his Liberal Party narrowly failed to win a majority of seats in parliament in Monday’s election, and will need help from smaller parties to pass legislation and pursue a challenging agenda, including confronting President Trump’s economic and sovereignty threats.
With final results coming in on Tuesday from nearly all districts a day after polls closed, the Liberals secured 169 seats in the 343-member parliament, just three shy of a majority, according to Elections Canada, the independent body that manages the country’s elections. The Conservative Party won 144 seats.
The result was still a resounding success for a Liberal Party that three months ago was predicted to lose badly to the Conservative opposition and for Carney, who had never run for any elected office before Monday. It grants the Liberals a rare fourth consecutive term in government.
While a majority government would have allowed Carney to push through his policies without needing to rely on others in parliament, the task of securing support from other members to pass laws and budgets did not appear too taxing — the Liberals have governed without a majority over two terms, for the last 4 ½ years. Small parties like the Greens and the leftist New Democrats are more naturally aligned with the Liberals’ centre-left political platform.
The Conservative Party had been leading in polls until March when Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods took effect and Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberals. For the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, the party’s defeat was made worse by the fact that he lost his seat, which he had held for 20 years, to a Liberal candidate.
The election has been extraordinary in many ways, with candidates and many voters describing it as the most critical vote in their lifetimes.
Trump and Carney spoke on Tuesday by phone, Carney’s office said in a brief statement, adding that they would meet “in the near future.”
New York Times News Service