Carney calls special elections for three Canadian districts, which could lead to majority government

TORONTO (AP) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called special elections for three districts that, if his party wins, would give the Liberals a majority government.

The prime minister announced that votes will be cast on April 13 in the Toronto-area districts of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale and in the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne.

The Toronto districts are considered to be safe seats for the Liberals, while Terrebonne is considered a toss up.

The Liberals currently have 169 Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, but they need 172 to secure a majority government, which would allow them to pass any bill without the support of an opposition party.

Three opposition Conservative Members of Parliament, Chris d'Entremont, Michael Ma and Matt Jeneroux, defected from their party to join the Liberals in recent months.

Jeneroux referenced Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos as helping him decide to join the Liberals. Carney condemned economic coercion by great powers against smaller countries and received widespread praise and attention for his remarks, upstaging U.S. President Donald Trump at the gathering.

The Supreme Court recently nullified the Liberals' one-vote federal election win in Terrebonne after the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois candidate challenged the results when a supporter complained she tried to vote by mail using a special ballot that wasn't counted.

If the Liberals do win all three by-elections, House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia would still need to cast tiebreaking votes to ensure the government's legislation passes.

Carney has moved the Liberals to the center since replacing Justin Trudeau as prime minister in 2025 and winning national elections.