TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals swept three special elections Monday in Quebec, Toronto, and British Columbia, strengthening his hand in an escalating trade fight with President Trump.
The striking pickup was Chicoutimi–Le Fjord, a Conservative seat since 2018 in an aluminum and dairy district hit by U.S. tariffs. Liberal Daniel Gobeil, a dairy farmer, won easily; the Conservatives fell to about 13 percent and third place. Liberals also held Beaches–East York in Toronto, with Tanveer Shahnawaz, and North Vancouver–Capilano, with Carney’s former deputy chief of staff Braeden Caley.
The sweep lifts the Liberals to 173 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons. “At this consequential time for Canada, voters have placed their trust in our government’s plan,” Carney said in a statement. Liberal lawmaker Hedy Fry told the CBC, “The United States is getting a message tonight.”
U.S.–Canada talks collapsed Aug. 21. Trump then imposed 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that Canada had limited leverage because the U.S. economy is about 13 times larger. Carney has vowed to cut Canada’s reliance on the United States. The Associated Press reported the Monday results from Toronto.
Sources: The Associated Press; BBC.
