Mark Carney’s Liberals will form minority government, CBC projects

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party will form a minority government, public broadcaster CBC is projecting, after an election race dominated by concerns over United States President Donald Trump’s threats against Canada.

CBC said on Tuesday afternoon that the Liberals had won enough of the 343 seats in the House of Commons to form a government but would fall short of the 172-seat threshold needed for a majority.

According to the latest projections from Monday’s vote, the Liberals have won 169 seats compared with 144 for the main opposition Conservative Party.

The Liberals’ victory caps a stunning fourth consecutive mandate for the party, which had been trailing the Tories by as much as 25-percentage points as recently as January.

But Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Canadian goods coupled with the Republican leader’s repeated threats to make Canada into the US’s “51st state” helped rally many Canadian voters behind Carney and the Liberals.

The resignation of Carney’s predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also helped the party regain support after facing months of widespread criticism for its handling of a housing crisis and other affordability issues.

More to come…