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Liberals sweep three Canadian by-elections, extending Carney's parliamentary majority

Confirmed1 source · Sep 1, 2026

Mark Carney's Liberal Party won all three special elections held Monday, including a seat previously held by the Conservative opposition in Quebec.

Liberals sweep three Canadian by-elections, extending Carney's parliamentary majority
Image via BBC News

What happened

The Liberal Party won three parliamentary special elections in Canada on Monday, claiming seats in Quebec (Chicoutimi-Le Fjord), Ontario (Beaches-East York), and British Columbia (North Vancouver-Capilano). The Quebec result was the most significant, with Liberal candidate Daniel Gobeil, a dairy farmer, capturing more than half the vote and defeating both the Bloc Québécois and Conservatives. The seat had been vacated by Conservative MP Richard Martel, whom Prime Minister Carney appointed to Canada's Senate last month. The other two Liberal victories were retentions of existing seats. The results preserve Carney's slim majority in the House of Commons.

Context

The electoral wins follow Carney's decision to end trade negotiations with the United States, which he characterized as proposing unfair terms. According to pollster Abacus Data, Carney's approval rating and personal popularity each rose four points in recent weeks, a trend credited to Trump's unpopularity with Canadian voters and public support for Carney's decision to walk away from trade talks. The bump is most pronounced in Quebec, where Carney's personal rating is stronger than elsewhere in the country. Quebec is among the provinces most affected by Trump's 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, which took effect after trade talks collapsed; Oxford Economics estimates Quebec could lose C$2 billion in annual output by 2028. The Conservatives have struggled since losing the April 2025 federal election, currently trailing by about 10 points in polls, and have lost four members to floor-crossings to the Liberals while three others have resigned or announced plans to do so.