Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party narrowly missed securing a majority in Canada’s Parliament following Monday’s election, requiring cooperation with smaller parties to advance legislative priorities and address pressing challenges including economic and sovereignty issues influenced by the U.S. administration.
As final tallies arrived on Tuesday from nearly all electoral districts, the Liberals obtained 169 seats out of 343, just three seats short of a majority government. The Conservative Party claimed 143 seats and was ahead in one additional riding.
Despite falling short of a majority, the outcome marked a significant achievement for the Liberals, who had been expected to suffer considerable losses just months earlier. For Carney, this election represented his first bid for elected office and secured the party’s rare fourth consecutive term in power.
Although a majority would have enabled Carney to implement his agenda without external support, the Liberals have experience governing as a minority over the last four and a half years. The party is likely to find common ground with smaller factions such as the Greens and the New Democrats, whose progressive platforms align closely with the Liberals’ center-left stance.
The Conservative Party had maintained a strong lead in polls until March, when U.S. tariffs on Canadian exports took effect and Carney succeeded Justin Trudeau as prime minister and Liberal leader. The election was particularly disappointing for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who lost his own parliamentary seat after holding it for two decades to a Liberal challenger.
