Carney on verge of Liberal majority government as votes cast in three by-elections

By-elections on Monday could solidify the Canadian PM's hold on power but can his "big tent" party be too big? Carney on verge of Liberal majority government as votes cast in three by-elections Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Carney speaks, wearing a suit and tie and gesturing with his hand Mark Carney has visited the Terrebonne riding to help stump for Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste Mark Carney, in a dark suit and no tie, smiles as he walks outside with Terrebonne candidate Tatiana Auguste, in a grey pinstripe suit, on a sunny day. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals could soon have 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 postal ballot by the federal election agency, Elections Canada. The Liberal candidate won by a single vote in last year's federal election in April. In February, Canada's top court over a clerical error involving a postal ballot by the federal election agency, Elections Canada. Wins in Toronto will be enough for Carney to clinch a 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 legislators to occasionally defect in Canadian politics, the recent rate of party-switching was "extraordinary", said Semra Sevi, who teaches political science at the University of Toronto. "Carney has built a big tent, attracting members of parliament who would not normally be associated with the Liberal party," Sevi told the BBC. "The complication, however, is that the tent may now be so big that there isn't a lot of ideological coherence in it." Carney has been forced to defend the most recent floor-crosser, Marilyn Gladu, who was once seen as more socially conservative and who is "personally pro-life", though she said she supports access to abortion services. Gladu has said she will vote in line with the Liberals on such issues, and Carney has said the party's "values" have not changed. Polls suggest the Liberals are about 10 to 15 points ahead of the Conservatives, the official opposition, with Carney himself maintaining strong support among Canadians. The Liberals have taken a more politically conservative shift under Carney, especially compared to Trudeau, making the party more attractive to right-of-centre MPs. He has ended a number of signature Trudeau policies, including a consumer carbon tax, and is pushing to make Canada an "energy superpower" and reduce the public sector workforce. The wave of defections has angered Conservatives, who have accused the Liberals of "backroom deals". Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called the floor-crossings "undemocratic" and has said that, by poaching MPs from other parties, Carney is telling those who elected them that "your vote does not count". But they have also raised concerns about frustration within the Conservative caucus under Poilievre, who just over a year ago was in serious contention to become the next prime minister before Carney surged ahead in the polls amid concerns about US-Canada relations under the Trump administration. "There is a real dissatisfaction with both [Poilievre's] leadership style, and the realistic prospect of the Conservatives ever forming a government under him," said Sevi. Canadian media have reported in recent days that a handful of other MPs are also being courted by the Liberals to cross the floor. On Saturday, as Liberals gathered in Montreal for a party convention, Carney closed out the event with a speech in which he pitched unity at a time the country faces a number of crises. "Canada's founding insight is that unity does not require uniformity," he said. Marilyn Gladu walks down a staircase in a black suit with a silver necklace. She is holding a red takeout coffee cup in her hand as well as a black purse. Canada's Carney welcomes another defector to Liberals as he nears majority A photo of PM Mark Carney speaking at a podium, with blurred out faces of spectators behind him. He is wearing a black suit and a dark navy polka-dotted tie with a white button up shirt. He has short grey and black hair. Third Conservative Canadian MP defects to Carney's Liberals Andrew Scheer is photographed speaking at a podium. He is wearing a navy blue suit and a light blue tie. Behind him are two Canadian flags. He has short light brown hair and blue eyes. Conservatives accuse Canada's Carney of being 'undemocratic' as MP resigns The prime minister needs only one more MP to join the Liberals to form a majority government after Marilyn Gladu of Ontario defected this week. Jeremy Hansen received a call from the prime minister as Canada's first astronaut to travel into deep space as part of the Artemis II mission. The CEO of Air Canada is under fire for the condolence video, as one of the pilots killed is French Canadian. Across 5,200 km of Canada's Arctic, some 1,300 members of Canada's military spent two winter months on a mission to meet the challenges of a changing north. Canada recently banned 2,500 models of "assault-style" firearms - but a plan to buy-back tens of thousands of guns fell short by half. Jon Shipman says it was "ridiculous" that passengers were left in Newfoundland for two days. How a play broadcast live on Canadian television in 1956 became the famous comedy film Airplane!. Inspired by a picture of Neil Armstrong, the Ontario-born astronaut has dreamed of space since he was a child.