Carney secures Liberal majority after special election wins

Carney secures Liberal majority after special election wins12 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJessica Murphy,Canada digital editor, TorontoandMax MatzaReutersCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party has secured a slim majority in the House of Commons, solidifying its hold on power after being projected by Canadian media to win at least two seats in by-elections on Monday.The election gains come a year after Carney took office, and follow five defections by opposition members of parliament to the Liberals.Liberals would now hold 173 of the 343 seats in the House, giving Carney more latitude with his political agenda. Results in a third special election are still unclear. His party will have the ability to pass legislation without relying on support from opposition benches and he could stave off a federal election until 2029.CBC, CTV and the Globe and Mail are projecting Liberal wins in two Toronto-area ridings, or constituencies - Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale.A third by-election, in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, showed Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste with a slight lead over the Bloc Quebecois's Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné at 22:30 local time on Monday (02:30 GMT), with about 30% of the ballots counted.August won that riding by a single vote in the last election before the results were tossed by the Supreme Court ealrier this year over a clerical error on a mail-in ballot. The majority marks a significant turnaround of fortunes for the Liberals, who were expected to lose last year's election before former leader Justin Trudeau ended nearly a decade in power and resigned in January.That paved the way for Carney to succesfully run to lead the party, and last April he led the Liberals to a minority government win as support surged around the party in response to aggressive rhetoric from US President Donald Trump. This is the first time in Canada that a majority was formed through a combination of special electi...