Following the 2025 federal election, Canada has declared liberal leader Mark Carney their Prime Minister; however, the liberals fell two seats short of a majority government with only 170 seats. Pierre Poilievre’s conservatives came in second with 143 seats, despite their leader losing in his riding of Carleton. Election day was a significant day in Canadian politics with many upsets, losses and victories.
Mike Carney and the Liberal Party of Canada
Relations with Canada’s ally, the United States of America, were the biggest factor contributing to Carney’s win. In his victory speech, he spoke on how he will stand up to the United States and encouraged Canadians to do so, especially amidst troubling times with threats of tariffs and comments made by President Donald Trump about Canada as the “51st state.” He told his crowd that Trump wanted to “break us, so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen.” Although Carney won the election, he does not need to be sworn in as Prime Minister as he’s already had the role for the past two months following Justin Trudeau’s announcement to step down. The cabinet ministers continue to stay in their posts as long as Carney chooses to keep the house the same.
The liberal party failed to meet the 172 seats needed for a majority government, meaning that they must forge alliances with other parties to pass legislation and/or to survive a non-confidence vote. Because of this, minority governments tend to only last 2-3 years, leaving Carney needing to rely on the Bloc Quebecois or the New Democratic Party (NDP). Carney consistently outlined his plans to forge a stronger relationship with President Trump and agreed to negotiate a new economic and security plan between the two countries. According to BBC “it’s possible we see the Liberals quickly introduce legislation focused on securing Canada’s economy in the face of US tariff headwinds.” This could be in the form of tax-cuts for lower-class Canadians and plans for trade diversification.
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party
Poilievre lost his seat in Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. He had previously held the seat since 2004 and won in his riding seven times. “I would like to congratulate [Carney] on leading this minority government. We will have plenty of time to debate and disagree, but tonight we come together as Canadians,” he said. Reid Warren, a Toronto citizen spoke to AP News and said that he chose not to vote Conservative because Poilievre looked like a “mini Trump to [him].” Party leaders are expected to have a seat in parliament or find one as soon as possible as outlined in the House of Commons Procedure and Practice. Alberta’s Battlefront River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek announced that he will resign so that a byelection will be triggered for Poilievre to run in. The riding is considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, however, Poilievre would have to wait until 30 days after the election results are published in the Canada Gazette; the official publication of the federal government.
New Democratic Party’s upsetting loss
The NDP held 24 seats going into the election and ended the vote with seven seats, resulting in the worst showing in party history. The party lost all five ridings it previously held in Ontario and 10/13 in British Columbia. Because of these upsetting results, the NDP no longer has official party status as they needed 12 seats for this recognition. This means that they won’t get as much parliamentary funding and will likely be unable to participate in governmental committees. Jonathan Malloy, a political science professor at Ottawa’s Carleton University told CBC news that he thinks the party’s devastating loss is due to fear of Trump, which drove NDP supporters to vote liberal. Party leader Jagmeet Singh announced that he will resign once an interim leader is selected after losing his seat in his riding of Burnaby Central. “It’s been an honour to represent the people of Burnaby Central. Tonight they chose a new member of parliament, and tonight I wish them well as they continue to work hard for this community,” he said.
The 2025 Canadian election was filled with defeats, upsetting losses and victories for many MPs. Despite this, Canada welcomes Carney as the 24th Prime Minister and is eagerly waiting to see how he will uplift Canadians and forge relationships with old and new allies.
Written by Suriya Rampersad
