Byelections deliver Liberal sweep

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that the Liberals' three byelection victories send a "clear message" that Canadians support the government's approach to the trade dispute with the United States.

"The message from Canadians, I think, is clear. They've given their support — more than 50 per cent in each of these ridings — to the government's plan and I think that's because Canadians are united and Canadians are ready," Carney told reporters in Ottawa.

"We've been buying Canadian, we've been visiting Canada, we have been reinforcing our strength here at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad. That's been the plan of the government since the start."

The Liberals swept all three byelections on Monday, winning in Toronto's Beaches-East York, North Vancouver-Capilano, and Chicoutimi-Le Fjord. In the first two ridings, the party was widely expected to win. Carney's former deputy chief of staff, Braeden Caley, won the Vancouver-area seat with 58.6 per cent of the vote, while constituency worker Tanveer Shahnawaz kept Beaches-East York in Liberal hands with 55.7 per cent. In the Toronto riding, NDP candidate Shannon Devine took 25.8 per cent, up from the 6.9 per cent she earned in the April 2025 general election.

The most striking result came in Quebec's Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, a riding the Conservatives had held since 2015. In April 2025, Conservative Richard Martel won a fourth consecutive term by just three percentage points. This time, dairy farmer Daniel Gobeil won 51.3 per cent of the vote for the Liberals, about 18 points ahead of Bloc Québécois candidate Caroline Dubé. Conservative candidate Régis Gaudreault came third with about 12.5 per cent, finishing nearly 39 points behind Gobeil.

Carney frames wins as backing for trade plan

Carney attributed the results to national unity and support for the government's trade strategy, which has included counter-tariffs on American goods. The trade war with the Trump administration has been a central backdrop to the byelections, and the Quebec riding in particular has been hit hard by S. tariffs targeting aluminum, forestry, and supply-managed dairy.

Speaking to reporters, Carney was also asked about recent comments from S. cabinet ministers that ridiculed Canada's military and a suggestion by President Donald Trump to rename Lake Ontario. "It's not constructive," Carney said.

Public opinion appears to back the government's firm line. An Ipsos poll conducted for Global News found that 63 per cent of Canadians supported the government's decision to stand firm in trade negotiations with the , even if it meant higher costs and job losses. A larger majority, 73 per cent, backed Ottawa's "dollar for dollar" counter-tariffs on $28 billion in American goods.

Political implications

Analysts said the results send a strong signal about Liberal strength in Quebec and voter concern over the trade war. Daniel Béland, a professor of political science at McGill University, said the outcome "sends a strong message about the strength of the Liberals in Quebec right now, and also about how people are worried about the trade war." He added that the Conservative collapse in the province would fuel debate about Pierre Poilievre's future as leader.

Poilievre, who lost his longtime Ottawa-area seat in the April 2025 election, had not made public comment on the results as of Monday afternoon. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet declared the Conservative party "irrelevant" in the province, suggesting "there are two political parties in Quebec: the Liberal Party of Canada and the Bloc Québécois."

Looking ahead

The trio of byelection wins last April had secured Liberal majority status. With these latest victories, the government now holds additional seats. There are five more vacancies in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec, with a sixth expected when Conservative Larry Brock steps down on Sept. 18. Carney has not yet set dates for those races.