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. The Conservative Party won 143 seats and was leading in one more.
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 Mr. 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 Mr. 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’ center-left political platform.
The Conservative Party had been handily leading in polls until March when Mr. Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods took effect and Mr. Carney replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister and the leader of the Liberals. For the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, the party’s stinging defeat was made worse by the fact that he lost his seat, which he had held for 20 years, to a Liberal candidate.
Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative leader, on Monday night. He lost his own seat in the House of Commons.Credit…Nasuna Stuart-Ulin for The New York Times
