Mark Carney’s Liberal Party has secured enough seats to form a minority government in Canada’s 45th federal election, according to CTV News projections released late Monday.
As of 11 p.m. EDT, the Liberals were leading or had won 156 out of 343 seats in the House of Commons, falling short of the 172 seats required for a majority. The Conservative Party, under Pierre Poilievre’s leadership, trailed with 144 seats. In Canada, minority governments typically last for around two and a half years.
Carney, a former central bank governor, took over leadership of the Liberal Party in March following the resignation of Justin Trudeau. His campaign emphasized economic management and addressing growing tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, whose controversial remarks about annexing Canada sparked a wave of nationalism that helped the Liberals gain support.
This result extends the Liberal Party’s time in government, which began with Trudeau’s majority win in 2015. Carney’s victory also marked a setback for Poilievre, the fourth consecutive Conservative leader to lose to the Liberals.
Carney, 60, won the Nepean riding in Ottawa, while Poilievre held onto his seat in nearby Carleton.
The Liberals now face the challenge of securing support from opposition parties to pass legislation in a divided Parliament. Both the New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois also experienced losses in the election.
There was a record turnout in advance polling, with 7.3 million Canadians casting their votes early.
Carney, who previously served as governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, focused his campaign on his economic expertise, presenting a stark contrast to Poilievre’s promises to overhaul domestic policies in response to affordability concerns.
Neither Carney nor Poilievre immediately commented on the election projections.
