Canada’s Liberal Party, headed by Prime Minister Mark Carney, is set to secure a fourth term of office with a minority government, multiple Canadian networks projected on Tuesday afternoon following the elections held the previous day.
Based on results released by Elections Canada, CityNews and CBC News both projected the Liberals will form a minority government.
As of 4:00 p.m. EDT, the Liberals were leading and elected in 169 seats, three seats short of the number of seats required for majority. This means the Liberals will have to find support from at least one other party to stay in power.
In a victory speech to supporters early Tuesday morning, Carney promised to “think big” and lead a government that represents all Canadians, adding that Canada’s strength relies on working together as a country.
Gains by Carney and the Liberals came at the expense of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Québécois (BQ).
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre both lost elections in their respective ridings, meaning they will not be returning to Parliament.
Singh, who led the NDP through three federal election campaigns, announced he would be stepping down as head of the party in wake of the result.
While Poilievre conceded the election, he did not announce his resignation and suggested he might remain to fight on behalf of the Conservative party.
The Liberals’ victory comes a little more than five weeks after Carney called a snap election, just days after assuming office as Canada's 24th Prime Minister, replacing Justin Trudeau who had resigned in January.
Shortly after his election as Liberal leader, Carney was quick to comment on the situation in Gaza, calling the decision to cut off electricity to the region a mistake, although he did not directly mention Israel.
“It has been more than two days that the supply of electricity to Gaza has been shut off,” Carney stated, adding, “It must resume. Essentials including food, electricity and medical supplies should never be used as political tools.”
Carney further emphasized that “Canada must work with our allies to stand up for international law to promote sustainable peace and security in the Middle East and to support full access to humanitarian aid for Palestinian families.”
He also called for both sides to work towards “the return of all hostages and the completion of the ceasefire agreement.”
Later, a video was released showing Carney at a rally in Calgary, where he responded to a protester in the crowd who yelled, “Mr. Carney, there is a genocide happening in Palestine,” by pausing and saying, “Thank you…I’m aware. Which is why we have an arms embargo.”
Carney was later asked by reporters about the remark and walked it back, claiming that he had not heard the specific term “genocide” and was simply referencing existing arms restrictions imposed by the Canadian government.
“I didn’t hear that word,” Carney said. “It’s noisy. If you’re up there you hear snippets of what people say and I heard Gaza, and my point was I’m aware of the situation in Gaza.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back at Carney, saying, “Canada has always sided with civilization. So should Mr. Carney. But instead of supporting Israel, a democracy that is fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the one and only Jewish state. Mr. Carney, backtrack your irresponsible statement!”
Poilievre has been a staunch supporter of Israel. In 2022, he stated that if he were to win the elections for Prime Minister, he would move the Canadian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Poilievre also advocated for Israel to preemptively strike Iran's nuclear facilities, describing such an action as “a gift by the Jewish state to humanity”.