As Carney eyes Liberal majority government, there are risks for him and Poilievre

As Carney eyes Liberal majority government, there are risks for him and Poilievre21 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMax MatzaandJessica Murphy,Canada digital editor, TorontoReutersMark Carney has visited the Terrebonne riding to help stump for Liberal candidate Tatiana AugusteCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals could soon form a slim majority in the House of Commons if the party is able to make gains in three by-elections being held on Monday. The outcome of the races, two in the Toronto-area and one near Montreal, could solidify his hold on power, staving off a federal election until as late as 2029 and giving his party the ability to pass legislation without relying on support from opposition benches.Liberals currently hold 171 of the 343 seats in the House, one shy of a technical majority.The likely power shift comes a year after Carney became prime minister, and follows a series of defections by opposition members of Parliament to the Liberals. The Liberals are widely expected to win the two Toronto ridings, or constituencies, of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale. The seats were previously held by former defence minister Bill Blair - now Canada's ambassador to the UK - and Chrystia Freeland, who served as deputy prime minister under Justin Trudeau and is now an adviser to Ukraine. The race in Terrebonne, a Montreal suburb, is considered a toss-up between the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois. The Liberal candidate won by a single vote in last year's federal election in April. In February, Canada's top court nullified the result over a clerical error involving a mail-in ballot in the riding by the federal election agency, Elections Canada. Wins in Toronto will be enough to clinch Carney his narrow majority. But the prime minister has already been able to shore up his bench with five defectors - four former Conservatives and one member of the left-wing New Democratic Party. While it's not unusual for legi...