Canada’s Carney edges closer to majority government as legislator defects to Liberals
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is now three seats short of a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Canadian PM Mark Carney's Liberals gained a defecting Conservative legislator, Matt Jeneroux, moving closer to a parliamentary majority.
- This defection leaves Liberals three seats short of a majority, vital for PM Carney to pass legislation and counter US tariffs effectively.
- The defection increases pressure on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who accused Carney of "dirty backroom deals" for a majority.
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OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Feb 18 edged closer to a parliamentary majority that could help him counter US tariffs when an opposition legislator defected to the ruling Liberals.
The Liberals, governing with a minority after an election in April 2025, need opposition support to pass key legislation such as budgets.
That can be a slow process, and Mr Carney has said he needs a majority to react more effectively to US President Donald Trump’s trade measures.
Mr Carney said Mr Matt Jeneroux of the official opposition right-of-centre Conservatives, who represents a constituency in the western province of Alberta, would sit with the Liberals in the House of Commons.
Carney needs three more seats
The centrist Liberals now have 169 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons elected chamber – three short of a majority. Three seats formerly occupied by Liberals are vacant and, if the party wins all three, Mr Carney would have control of the chamber.
“The world has changed, and Canada must change with it. This is a time to come together – and together, we will build a stronger future,” he said in a post on X.
Later on Feb 18, Mr Carney is due to meet Mr Jeneroux, who said in a statement that he wanted to help tackle “unprecedented pressures” on Canadian prosperity and sovereignty.
A majority would open the way to Mr Carney serving until April 2029. Canadian elections are held no later than every four years.
Mr Carney must formally announce special elections to fill the vacant seats. Two are in Liberal strongholds and should be easy wins, but polls indicate the third, in a Montreal suburb, will be a much tighter race.
The defection is the third from the Conservatives to the Liberals in recent months and will put more pressure on leader Pierre Poilievre, who survived a leadership review
“Mark Carney is trying to seize a costly Liberal majority government that Canadians voted against in the last election through dirty backroom deals,” Mr Poilievre said in a post on X, accusing Mr Jeneroux of betrayal. REUTERS
