Liberals secure majority government with byelection wins

 

April 14|

Duration5:18

After a series of floor crossings, Prime Minister Mark Carney secured a majority government after Liberals were projected to win in at least two of three byelections.

There have been a total of 24 prime ministers in Canada's history, but before Monday night only 13 could claim to have led their party to a majority of seats in the House of Commons. Carney is now the 14th to do it. 

It is a remarkable achievement — doubly so for how Carney came to be prime minister and now how he came to have a majority. 

• Live results for Terrebonne.
• Live results for University-Rosedale.
• Live results for Scarborough Southwest.

With a new — if narrow — majority, the Liberals will be able to more easily move legislation through the House and through the committees that review legislation. The Liberal cabinet will be able to survive confidence votes, and it can start thinking about not having to face a new election until 2029. 

In that way, the difference between 171 seats and 173 seats is massive. But for the sake of their own comfort, the Liberals might still want to find another couple seats. 

In the life of any Parliament there are some number of sudden exits — Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the Liberal MP for Beaches-East York, is already seeking to run provincially in Ontario. Another two or three departures wouldn't be inconceivable. And having gotten to a majority, the Liberals likely don't want to leave it balancing on a knife edge or even slipping back into a minority.

Given how expansive the Liberal tent has become in recent weeks, there is also some question of how well it will hold together — with the possibility now that, at least in theory, a few Liberal MPs could hold significant sway over votes in the House.

But the eternal question in politics is: what's next? What will Carney do with a majority?

Read more.

In a statement early this morning congratulating the three newly elected Liberal MPs, the prime minister said that voters "have placed their trust in our new government's plan.

"We accept that support with humility, determination and a clear understanding of what this moment demands.

"This is a time to come together so we can build a Canada strong for all."

Carney pledged that the Liberals will work with other parties in collaboration and partnership and "solicit all perspectives" in Parliament.

He also hinted that the government will plan to move fast, saying the work ahead demands "ambition to deliver at the speed and scale Canadians are counting on."

Terrebonne will once again be represented by Liberal Tatiana Auguste, CBC News projects. That brings the Liberals up to 174 seats, putting them on more solid ground as they push their agenda through the House of Commons. It also signals that Carney hasn't lost his shine in Quebec since the last general election.

It's been a hell of a ride for Auguste, who won the riding last spring by one vote and saw that result later annulled by the country's top court. She appears to have a more sturdy hold this time around. 

April 13

While the spread in Terrebonne is more than one vote, it's still proving to be a tight race. Could we see another recount? That depends on what the final tallies are.

According to Canada's election rules, a recount is automatically triggered when a candidate wins by less than 0.1 per cent of the overall vote in that riding. Last spring the Bloc seemed to win by 44 votes, triggering a recount, which flipped back to the Liberals by one. 

A recount can also be requested if someone believes that the ballot count was improperly carried out. A person who requests a recount must do so in writing, provide their reasoning for the request and make a $250 deposit.

As we've noted earlier, Elections Canada warned that the number of candidates running in the Montreal suburb could slow the count based on past experiences.

But the results have been steadily coming in throughout the night and we're not seeing the counting delays that we've had in previous long ballot protests, where results weren't called until the next morning.

That's likely the write-in ballot at work. It's easier for counters and scrutineers to check for a single name rather than go over a metre-long ballot to ensure only one name was selected.

The Liberals are so far projected to win two of the three byelections tonight, but results are still coming in for the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne.

The Liberal candidate has pulled ahead of the Bloc, but the two have been neck and neck all night. Elections Canada said the count would be slow, but as of 10:55 p.m. ET, we have more than 70 per cent of polls reporting.

 

'Tonight truly belongs to you' Liberal MP-elect Doly Begum dedicates victory to her late husband

 

April 13|

Duration2:16

Liberal candidate Doly Begum thanks her constituents and late husband, Rizuan, in her victory speech after she was declared the projected winner of the Scarborough Southwest byelection on Monday. Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals secured a majority government with projected wins in two Toronto ridings.

Begum is now speaking in front of her supporters. She was briefly joined on stage by Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who introduced her.

Begum, smiling, thanked her supporters and the community for her win. "I am so proud of each and every single one of you," she said, "and what we've accomplished together.

"Tonight we celebrate a new beginning."

Begum went on, after a brief pause, to talk about her late husband. 

"To my dearest Rizuan … this victory belongs to you." 

Queen's We Will Rock You just blasted over the speakers here at Liberal HQ in Scarborough Southwest. 

Cheers drowned out the music as the results gave the Liberals a victory here in Scarborough Southwest, with chants of "Doly, Doly, Doly," filling the banquet hall.

Despite having less leverage in the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will forge ahead in opposition — and criticized the Liberals for how they went about gaining their majority.

"The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today's byelections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them," Poilievre wrote in a social media post.

"Liberals expect Canadians to give up, get complacent and go away, so Carney can have total power without any accountability. That will not happen. Our country and its people are worth fighting for."

Although some of his former MPs helped Carney gain this majority via floor-crossing, Poilievre says he intends to stay on as leader.

"I will continue to lead that fight every day and in every way in Parliament, across the country and in the next election, when Canadians will reclaim the country we know and love."

 

Carney, Liberals 'earned an even more powerful mandate' says new University—Rosedale MP-elect

 

April 13|

Duration0:54

Liberal candidate Danielle Martin delivered her victory speech after winning the byelection in the federal riding of University-Rosedale on Monday, securing a slim majority for Prime Minister Mark Carney's government.

MP-elect Danielle Martin promised supporters who gathered Monday night from the riding of University-Rosedale that Liberals will be bold with their new majority mandate. 

"As of tonight, Mark Carney and our entire incredible Liberal team have earned an even more powerful mandate to continue building a better Canada," she said to cheers from the crowd.

"This is not a mandate to be quiet. It is not a mandate to take our time. It is a mandate to get to work on housing, on affordability, on health care and climate change and infrastructure, on the future of our economy and the public services that are more important to this country than ever."