Carney promises collaboration, substantive debate in majority Parliament

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians can expect Parliament to be more substantive and less performative now that the Liberals have a majority government.

“There’s a difference between real testimony, real substance, getting to issues, debating aspects of law, advancing — that’s the job of parliamentarians — and showboating,” he said at a press conference in Ottawa Tuesday.

The governing party held on to seats in three byelections on Monday in Terrebonne, north of Montreal, and Scarborough Southwest and University—Rosedale, both in Toronto. Once the winning candidates are sworn in, the Liberal benches in the House of Commons will have 174 MPs, two more than the minimum needed for a majority.

Those bolstered numbers — five more seats than the Liberals won in last April’s election — come courtesy of the four Conservatives and one New Democrat who have crossed the floor since November.

Carney said the government is “open to ideas from anyone” and promised to work collaboratively with the other parties.

But that spirit of collaboration hasn’t warmed the public discourse between the prime minister and Official Opposition leader.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Carney of manufacturing a majority Canadians rejected in the last election.

“He did it through dirty backroom deals against the interests of the people, with the help of politicians who betrayed their voters and their citizens,” Poilievre said in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Carney said his government’s new power is the product of “increasing support” for Liberal candidates in the byelections and defended the practice of crossing the floor.

“Canadians elect deputies, deputies vote with their conscience and support the program that they see best for their constituents and for the country,” he said.

Speculation about more floor crossers is still running rampant on Parliament Hill, with a number of Conservative MPs posting on social media in recent days to assure their constituents they plan to stay with the Tories.

That also has led to questions about Poilievre’s continued leadership. Poilievre addressed those questions in Parliament on Tuesday by saying he would “continue to lead that fight in this House, across this country and in the next election.”

Carney was asked Tuesday if he thought Poilievre should stay on, and declined to offer an answer, saying he respects the Tory leader.

A reporter then pointed out that Poilievre recently said in an interview that Carney — who has a PhD in economics from Oxford University — is “very badly educated on economics.”

“Did he?” Carney asked, laughing, “Wow. Can I take back my previous answer?”

It will take a few weeks for Monday’s byelection results to be certified and the newly elected MPs to be sworn into office. Once that happens, the Liberals will have far greater control over the House of Commons.

The government will be able to pass confidence votes without the support of another party for the first time since 2019.

The Liberals will also no longer need to rely on opposition support to pass legislation, and can now speed bills through Parliament by limiting debate and taking control of House committees.

For the past year the Bloc Québécois has held the balance of power on committees. The party lost a traditional stronghold in Terrebonne on Monday.

Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Tuesday the Bloc will co-operate responsibly in Parliament on measures that benefit Quebec.

Changing the makeup of the committees would require a majority vote to change the Standing Orders, the rules that govern the House of Commons.

Hinting that such a change might come, Carney told reporters that over the last year, some legislation had been bogged down for political reasons.

He also said he is not considering calling an election at this time. The next federal election must be called by the spring of 2029.

Susan Smith, a Liberal commentator and founder of Blue Sky Strategy Group, said Monday’s byelection results show there is support for stability in Ottawa.

“With these byelection results and the effect of the floor crossings, you see what Canadians want, which is a stable government and they want Mark Carney at the helm,” she said.

Canada hasn’t had a majority government since 2019, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals were reduced to a minority in an election.

But the slim majority comes with its own headaches.

It gives Liberal MPs greater leverage inside their own caucus, but also creates problems with winning votes when a caucus member gets sick or is travelling abroad.

That puts greater pressure on the party whip, who will need to ensure MPs don’t miss key votes and see that Liberals who defected from other parties don’t step out of line.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2026.

— With files from Catherine Morrison and Kyle Duggan

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press