Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party secured victories in all three parliamentary by-elections held in Canada on Monday, demonstrating sustained public backing well into his second year in office and amid escalating trade frictions with the United States.
The contests were prompted by the resignations of three sitting MPs. The most significant outcome came in Quebec, where the Liberals captured a seat previously held by an opposition Conservative.
In the other two races, located in Ontario and British Columbia, the Liberals successfully defended their existing seats, in line with polling expectations.
Carney has enjoyed a surge in public approval following his decision to suspend trade negotiations with the US, citing what he described as “unfair” terms proposed by Washington’s negotiators.
The prime minister marked the occasion by congratulating the three winning Liberal candidates on X. Addressing the broader challenges confronting his administration, he stated: “Canada is being tested in a changing world, and Canadians are up for it.”
The results ensure that Carney retains his narrow majority in the House of Commons.
Canadian media projected a commanding win for the Liberals in the Quebec district of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord. Liberal candidate Daniel Gobeil, a dairy farmer, secured the seat with more than half of the votes cast, becoming the region’s new MP.
He finished ahead of both the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives, who placed second and third respectively. The constituency had been a closely contested three-way race in the previous election.
Addressing supporters in French, Gobeil emphasized that “this victory means we can maintain Canadian unity all across the country,” according to CBC.
Elsewhere, Tanveer Shahnawaz won the contest in Beaches-East York, Ontario, while Braeden Caley claimed victory in North Vancouver-Capilano, British Columbia.
The Conservatives have struggled to narrow the gap with the Liberals since their defeat in last year’s federal election, with the latest polls showing them trailing Carney’s party by approximately 10 points.
Four members of the Conservative caucus have crossed the floor to join the governing Liberals since the April 2025 election, while three others have resigned or announced plans to step down.
Richard Martel, the former Conservative MP for the Quebec constituency that held Monday’s by-election, departed the House of Commons last month after Carney appointed him to Canada’s Senate. Canadian senators are appointed rather than elected.
The loss of Martel’s seat represents another setback for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who won a leadership review in January by a wide margin but has faced persistent questions about his capacity to navigate Canada’s evolving political landscape.
Meanwhile, the approval rating of Carney’s government has climbed four points in recent weeks, as has the prime minister’s personal popularity, based on figures released on Monday by Canadian pollster Abacus Data, external.
David Coletto, founder of Abacus Data, attributes this rise to US President Donald Trump’s unpopularity among Canadians, as well as to the country rallying behind Carney’s decision to withdraw from trade discussions with the White House.
This trend is particularly pronounced in Quebec, Coletto noted on Monday, where “Carney’s personal rating is stronger there than anywhere else in the country.”
Quebec is positioned to be among the provinces most heavily impacted by Trump’s new 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, which took effect earlier this month following the breakdown of trade talks.
In a recent analysis, global forecasting firm Oxford Economics projected that Quebec could lose C$2bn ($1.4bn; £1bn) in annual economic output by 2028 as a result.