Murray Wood: Carney's Liberal majority will come because of floor crossers, not votes
Thanks to floor crossings, the Liberals only need to hold safe seats in Monday's byelections to get to majority status. ...
OTTAWA — Voters head to the polls today in three federal byelections widely expected to grant Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government.
Two are Liberal strongholds in Toronto, while the third is a tight race in the Montreal suburb of Terrebonne between the Bloc Québécois and the governing party.
Read more:
- Last day of campaigning ahead of byelections expected to secure Liberal majority
- Carney says floor-crossing MPs must support Liberal values on abortion, LGBTQ rights
- Poilievre fires back at questions about his leadership after fourth floor crossing
The byelections were called to replace Liberal MPs Bill Blair and Chrystia Freeland, and after the courts overturned Terrebonne’s election result from last year – which was won by the Liberals by just one vote.
The Liberals stand at 171 seats in the House of Commons after attracting five opposition MPs to cross the floor.
Carney needs 172 MPs for a technical majority, but 173 to effectively govern with one.
Polls open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. local time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2026.
The Canadian Press
